A second-year student was found dead at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Kurukshetra on Thursday, marking the third suspected suicide at the institute this month and sparking student protests over alleged delay in authorities’ response, police said.
Kurukshetra police said the 20-year-old student is from Buxar district in Bihar. An autopsy was performed in the presence of the family, and the matter is being investigated. “An autopsy was conducted at LNJP Hospital… and the body has been handed over to the family. We are investigating the matter further,” a police spokesperson said.
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An NIT-Kurukshetra official said the institute had already initiated procedures to review the mental health of students, but the latest incident underscores the need to “strengthen support systems”.
The protesting students alleged administrative negligence, alleging delays in response. The institute did not address these allegations in its statement to HT.
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On Friday, the students called for a comprehensive investigation, improved advisory services and stronger crisis response mechanisms. One second-year BTech student cited academic pressure, financial pressures and family expectations, along with insufficient institutional support, as major factors.
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A student council member said that appointing faculty members as mentors after previous incidents reflects a lack of seriousness. “They have no professional experience in mental health,” the student said.
Jian Bhushan, public relations officer at the National Institute of Technology, said a student delegation met the director on Friday. He said the steps taken after the April 8 case included increasing interaction between faculty and students, identifying students in need of counselling, stress management activities at the hostel level, enhancing surveillance through CCTV cameras and restricting access to vulnerable areas.
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The institute announced a “preparatory holiday” from April 17 to May 4. Students questioned the move, pointing out that classes scheduled until April 22 have been canceled even though the syllabus coverage has not been completed.
The latest death represents the fourth such case on campus in less than two months. A first-semester student was found dead on February 16, followed by incidents on March 31 and April 8.
A member of the three-member review committee set up by the Federal Ministry of Education said recent events had prompted scrutiny of student support systems alongside management and institutional performance. The committee is expected to visit the institute next week.
These cases come amid broader concern about students’ mental health.
In March 2025, the Supreme Court established a National Task Force on Student Suicides and, in January 2026, issued interim directions requiring institutions to report all unnatural deaths and refrain from penalizing students for delaying scholarships.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides can be prevented. Some of the major helpline numbers for suicide prevention in India are 011-23389090 from Soumyatri (Delhi based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai based).
