Close on the heels of a first-year student of Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay student, Darshan Solanki, dying by suicide - an incident that sparked off the issue of caste discrimination - the management of the premier institute said that they have initiated several changes including in the curriculum in the under-graduate courses to reduce stress among students.
In a press statement, IIT-Bombay Director Prof Subhasis Chaudhuri informed of the steps being taken.
“We are working actively to create an inclusive campus where all students feel at home. On the first day when students enter IIT, during their formal orientation, we give strong warnings against any discrimination. We also sensitise all students to not seek proxy information such as ranks in entrance exams. We have a very strict policy on discrimination by faculty,” Chaudhuri said.
According to him, the IIT-Bombay has an active student mentor programme, which reaches out to all new students.
“Right from the orientation programme onwards, we encourage students to seek support from Student Counselors at our Student Wellness Centre, which Anisha Mathews now heads, or from our hospital, whenever they need it,” he said.
“Although some who need it do not seek support due to societal norms, many students have benefited from the support. We are working hard to ensure everyone who needs support gets it. We are also working towards changes in our UG curriculum, starting with the batch of 2022, to make it more relevant and motivating to students, and to reduce some of the stress. There surely is more room for improvement and we look forward to your participation and suggestions in that direction. In particular, let us work together to ensure that such an unfortunate incident never happens,” he said.
As far as the investigations into the death of Solanki is concerned, he said that the Mumbai Police is carrying out investigations.
"In parallel, we have started our own investigation headed by Prof. Nand Kishore, who till recently was our Chief Vigilance Officer, and is experienced in these matters. The committee includes SC/ST student cell members including both faculty and students, some of the student mentor coordinators and the In-charge Chief Medical Officer of our hospital,” he said.