De-stressing measures at Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) Mesra seem to have failed to deliver as students continue taking harsh steps like suicide out of the mental stress, academic pressure and other social changes. Another PHD student Kriti Kumar committed suicide on Sunday by hanging himself in his hostel room. Kumar had done B-Tech from BIT Sindri and had joined PHD programme on Production department.
According to the Institution authorities, students do not reveal their problems before the counseling cell due to various reasons. “We have a counseling cell and an advisor on every 10 student, but the students avoid sharing their feeling with the advisors. Unless the students themselves do not discuss their problems with us it is very difficult to identify the problem and suggest remedies for it,” said the dean of BIT Mesra.
The reasons for suicide however, are still unknown- peer pressure, competition, high ambition or love affair might be the probable reasons for suicide. “We also provide counseling for those who are not able to perform well in their examinations and remedial classes are also conducted time to time to minimize academic pressure on them, but students do not co-operate,” said the Dean.
Police on the other hand, calls it a degeneration of society where one keeps apart from others and prefer staying aloof and subsequently takes his/her life. “It is not as simple as we talk, it is a complex process. Parents and friend circle can of great help for those who start staying alone all of a sudden by sharing their feelings and talking to them about their problems. It is parents and friends who should identify such students,” said City SP Vipul Shukla.
“This is the time when they can be motivated to take life as a challenge, because once they are aloof they develop a feeling that no one care for them,” added Shukla.
It is important that they should be made to talk and discuss their problem with anybody- family, friend or teacher- it can be anybody whom he likes to talk, said Shukla.
BIT-Mesra had witnessed several suicides during the last few years Kriti Kumar being the latest, Gaurav Upadhyay 24 who had also hanged himself in his hostel room on December 30, 2013 was fourth student to take his life this premier institute in the last three years.
Arnab Mukherjee, a final year Architecture student had earlier ended his life on November 5, 2011, Rahul Kumar, a second year Mehcanical student was found hanging from ceiling fan of his hostel room on February 4, 2009 and a bio-technology student, Abhay Prafulla Minj had hanged himself on December 4, 2009 were among few who had committed suicide allegedly due to academic pressure and failed love affairs.