TISS student death puts campus emergency healthcare under scrutiny

On the morning of Monday, September 8, P Janarthanan, a 26-year-old first-year student pursuing an MA in Health Administration at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) School of Health Systems Studies, collapsed during a class at the institute’s Deonar campus in Mumbai.

Around 9 am, during a lecture at the KRH building, Janarthanan, a BDS graduate from Tamil Nadu, began experiencing breathlessness and chest discomfort. Classmates, including some with medical training, recognised the symptoms as a possible cardiac emergency and moved him outside while seeking medical help.

Students say the emergency response exposed gaps in the campus healthcare system. According to them, no ambulance was available on campus and the institute’s on-campus doctor could not be reached in time.

With no institutional vehicle available, a fellow student drove Janarthanan to Zen Multi-speciality Hospital in Chembur in a private car. Students have also questioned why he was taken there instead of the closer Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Hospital and say the decision has not been adequately explained.

Doctors at Zen Hospital attempted CPR but could not revive him. Janarthanan was declared dead shortly after reaching the hospital.

Why are students protesting?

Student organisations, including the Progressive Students’ Forum, affiliated with the SFI, and the All India Students’ Federation, say the incident highlights long-standing gaps in emergency healthcare on campus.

They have questioned how an institute that trains students in public health and health systems administration could lack basic emergency response facilities for its own students.

The student groups have demanded an independent inquiry into Janarthanan’s death and a clear account of the emergency protocols in place at the campus. They are also seeking a round-the-clock healthcare facility staffed by qualified personnel, a dedicated ambulance, emergency medicines and a formal emergency response system.

Students gathered on campus to press the administration to respond to the Student Council’s charter of demands. They later held a candlelight vigil for Janarthanan, with police present during both the protest and vigil.

TISS has expressed condolences to Janarthanan’s family but, according to students, has not yet addressed specific questions surrounding the availability of an ambulance, access to medical personnel and the emergency response.

A larger concern over student safety

TISS has faced criticism from students and rights groups over its handling of campus activism in recent years. These include the 2024 suspension of PhD scholar Ramadas Prini Sivanandan, which was later reversed following a Supreme Court order, and the booking of students by Mumbai Police in 2025 over an event commemorating an activist’s death anniversary.

Student groups now say Janarthanan’s death has brought questions of student welfare and institutional accountability back into focus.

At the centre of the current protest is a basic question: whether students on a large residential campus should have immediate access to emergency medical care when a life-threatening situation arises.