Students say IISc removing fans 'to prevent suicides'

Students at the premier Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have charged the institute with launching a new scheme to prevent suicides on its campus: the removal of ceiling fans at hostels.

The institute is also said to have started to restrict student access to terraces and rooftops. Students expressed scepticism that it will address the root cause of the problem — poor mental health support on campus.

According to information from the institute in September, four suicides were recorded this year, with another two in 2020. Students told DH that the fan-removal drive began earlier this week at the U-Block hostel. They specified that ceiling fans are being replaced by wall-mounted fans.

An internal e-mail to the chairman of the Student’s Council stated that personnel charged with the work have indicated (to students) that “all rooms in all the hostels of the IISc will be covered in the next 15 days… They state that the move is in response to the recent student suicides in hostels.”

The letter was shared with DH.

The letter also included the results of a poll conducted by students, which found that 90 per cent of 305 respondents did not want ceiling fans to be replaced by wall-mounted fans, while 6 per cent said that they do not care.

In addition, 88 per cent of students said they did not think that “replacing ceiling fans with wall-mounted fans in all IISc hostels (would) help curb student suicide”.

“Taking this poll as a sample indicator of the entire student population of the IISc, it is clear that currently, the student community does not wish to proceed with this installation. They see no worth in its value proposition,” the letter stated.

When contacted, a member of the Student’s Council said that the matter is still up for discussion and the intention of the fan-removal programme is not yet clear.

While DH sought clarity on the matter from the institute’s top officials, an officer responded by the time of print that, “Your questions require inputs from different sources. Once we get the information, we will send responses to you.”

Students also claimed that the Wellness Centre, which was set up to provide mental health support, has not been effective. The Student’s Council member stated that they have been in talks with the administration about the Wellness Centre. “There are big changes planned for the centre,” the member said.

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