IIT Madras has initiated a wellness survey as a response to the unfortunate suicides of four students from February to April. The institute has engaged an independent agency under the supervision of the National Health Mission in Tamil Nadu to carry out the survey. As a part of the survey, more than 30 counsellors assigned by the NHM will have one-to-one conversations with all the students, faculty, and staff of the institute.IIT Madras director V Kamakoti said that the responsibility of ensuring happiness lies with the entire community and the institute is dedicated to working towards the well-being of everyone on its campus. He also stated that the independent wellness survey is a significant step taken towards achieving this goal.Acknowledging that the mental health of students is a priority, IIT-M has also introduced a “happiness” website. Kamakoti mentioned during the institutes 64th anniversary celebration on April 20 that they faced a “record number of unfortunate incidents” when the campus reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic.Following a series of unfortunate events and suicides that began in September last year with a 21-year-old student, IIT-Madras experienced its fourth suicide when an undergraduate student died by suicide inside his hostel room on the campus on April 21. On February 14, a postgraduate student also died by suicide, and another student attempted suicide but was rescued after consuming pills.After the recent suicide of an undergraduate student on campus, students at IIT-M held an overnight protest against the management, during which they presented a list of demands to Kamokoti. These included establishing an external expert committee to study the mental health of IIT-M students, addressing the relationship between professors and research scholars, and improving the medical centre facilities. Kamokoti had previously stated that financial stress, personal problems, academic pressure, and health issues were among the major causes of suicide on the campus.On March 14, a 20-year-old student committed suicide in an IIT-M hostel, while on March 31, a PhD research scholar died outside the campus, and his brother accused his PhD supervisor of pressuring him. This led to protests by students demanding justice and calling for the supervisor to be kept away during the inquiry. The IIT-M director then prevented the supervisor from visiting the departments laboratory until the completion of the inquiry.
