Chennai: Students demand safer academic space

The body should include psychologists, mental health experts, sociologists, educationists, faculty of IITM and other professional stakeholders.

Update: 2019-11-15 21:14 GMT
Students of IIT Madras stage a protest in front of the Central Lecture Theatre demanding an external expert panel to carry out a mental health study among the students on campus. (Photo: DC)

Chennai: Students of the IIT on Thursday staged protest in front of the Central Lecture Theatre in the institute, demanding among other things an external expert panel to carry out a mental health study among the students on campus.

While the tragic death of Fathima has come as a shock to the student community, “the inaction of the administration regarding the structural issues that have led to more and more suicides is appalling and must be protested against”, the students said in a petition to the Director.

Fathima’s father Abdul Latheef speaking to media

The students sought a “safer academic space” for the students amid some allegations that the Institute is dominated by an elite class and the commoner student is looked down upon. They reminded the administration of the resolution of the Student Legislative Council last semester remains unattended and must be implemented at once “to set up a body of outside experts to study the overall mental wellbeing of the students in the institute and on the effectiveness of the existing platforms and mechanisms to tackle all the issues faced by students in the campus”.

The body should include psychologists, mental health experts, sociologists, educationists, faculty of IITM and other professional stakeholders and must look into the pressures faced by students, especially those from marginalised social backgrounds including SC/ST, women, and queer communities. “The recommendations of the body should be acted upon.” They said.

Their petition to Director also called for the setting up of a ‘complaints and grievances redressal committee in all departments at the earliest to provide any needed assistance to the friends and classmates of Fathima.

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