Five-member panel formed to probe student suicides at NIT Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra (PTI): The National Institute of Technology (NIT) Kurukshetra in Haryana has constituted a five-member committee to investigate the recent case of student suicide on campus, besides forming three separate committees to look into issues faced by students.
The probe panel will interact with students, professors, wardens, and other staff.
NIT's Public Relations Officer, Prof Gian Bhushan, said on Sunday that the committee has been constituted to investigate the recent suicide cases on campus.
The panel is headed by Dean of Student Welfare Prof Lillie Dewan and includes Prof J K Kapoor, Prof Praveen Aggarwal, Dr Sandeep Singhal, and Dr Manoj Sinha.
The development comes days after a 19-year-old B.Tech student, Diksha Dubey, who hailed from Bihar, allegedly died by suicide on Thursday. Her death, which sparked protests on campus, marked the fourth such incident on the campus in the past two months.
After Dubey's death, a first-year BTech student allegedly attempted to take her own life on Friday night, police said. The female student, a Maharashtra native, allegedly threatened and tried to jump off the hostel building, but was stopped by fellow hostellers.
Prof Bhushan also informed that the administration has ordered all students to vacate the hostels by Sunday in light of the events and keeping in mind the well-being of all students.
Additionally, all UG, PG and PhD students are to be on vacation until further notice, and are required to vacate their hostels by April 19, according to a notice from the NIT administration.
Bhushan further informed that out of approximately 5,300 students residing in hostels, nearly 4,300 had left by Sunday evening, while around 1,000 students were still on campus.
Notably, the situation has been particularly challenging for students hailing from far-off states. Prof Bhushan said the administration is looking into the requests from such students to allow them to continue staying in the hostels.
The revised examination schedule, including practical examinations, will be communicated in due course. Students will be informed well in advance, before the commencement of examinations. Students have been advised to stay updated through the institute website for further announcements, the notice issued by the registrar-in-charge of NIT said on Saturday.
However, some students alleged that the notice to leave hostels has caused problems for them and disrupted their studies.
On Sunday, a 'havan' was organised at the campus of the NIT here, which has been witnessing a tense atmosphere following four suicides in past two months. Chairperson of the Board of Governors, NIT, Tejaswini Ananthkumar, who arrived on campus late Saturday evening, also participated in the ritual.
Prof Bhushan said the chairperson also visited various hotels late into the night to interact with students and assess their concerns firsthand.
She further held meetings with senior faculty members on Sunday to coordinate administrative efforts, particularly regarding arrangements for students returning home, he said.
A police investigation into Dubey's case is also currently underway.
The institute has replaced key hostel officials, including the chief warden and deputy warden of the girls' hostel.
Interacting with media persons on Saturday, the officiating Director of NIT, Prof Brahmjit, said the institute is taking students' issues seriously. He said each student has been assigned a faculty member for regular interaction. These faculty members will stay in touch with students, understand their concerns, and work towards resolving them, he said.
To further strengthen student support, the institute has also formed three separate committees.
The first committee comprises wardens who visit hostels daily and interact directly with students. The second is a mentorship committee, where one mentor is assigned to a group of 20-25 students and remains in regular contact, including through phone conversations.
The third committee includes two faculty members for each hostel, who continue to visit regularly and engage with students to understand their problems.
An NIT student told reporters here that "there is a gap between students and faculty/management, which should be properly addressed. Merely assigning mentors is not going to solve the problem". Another student noted, "Students are traumatised at four suicides in just two months."
A heavy police force has been deployed outside the campus gate to maintain law and order.
Meanwhile, the developments have triggered strong reactions from various student bodies, including the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Students' Federation of India (SFI), and Indian National Students' Union (INSU), all of which have extended support to students and raised concerns over the handling of the situation.
Expressing serious concern over the recurring incidents, the ABVP urged authorities to act decisively and demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), alleging that both the police and the institute administration are trying to suppress the matter.
It urged the government to take immediate cognisance and ensure transparency in the investigation. The organisation also appealed to students not to take extreme steps and to voice their concerns fearlessly.
The SFI, in a statement, accused the administration of attempting to downplay the matter by terming the suicides as "personal issues" and demanded accountability along with a fair and impartial inquiry.
Student organisations have also announced plans to hold a candle march, stating that the situation on campus is "completely unacceptable" and warrants urgent intervention.
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Super Priyansh puts up a show as Punjab Kings slay Lucknow Super Giants
Mullanpur (PTI): Priyansh Arya, one of the country's most talked about T20 batting talent alongside Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, smashed his way to a magnificent 93 as Punjab Kings clinically demolished Lucknow Super Kings by 54 runs in an IPL match here on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Delhi man, whose knock came off just 37 balls, joined hands with Cooper Connolly, the most talked about next-gen batting star in Australia, who also oozed class in his 45-ball-87 as Punjab Kings posted an insurmountable 254 for 7 in 20 overs.
The duo added an astounding 182 runs off just 80 balls with 16 sixes (9 from Priyansh and 7 from Connolly) and 12 fours shared between them.
In reply, Lucknow Super Giants despite a reasonably good Powerplay that fetched 61 runs were never in contention as they finished on 200 for five in 20 overs.
The likes of skipper Rishabh Pant (43 off 23 balls) and Mitchell Marsh (40 off 28 balls) tried but their intent and execution paled in comparison to the six-hitting exhibition of Priyansh and Connolly.
Vyshak Vijaykumar (1/30 in 4 overs) was brilliant with his pace-on and pace-off variations that stopped both Marsh and Pant in their tracks.
Once both were gone, wrapping up the match was a mere formality for Shreyas Iyer's men, itching to go one better than their previous runners-up finish in 2025.
When Punjab Kings batted, the Powerplay score of 63 for one was good, they were even better in the middle phase between overs 7th and 11th in which 66 runs came.
Priyansh, the beefy southpaw, just stood and delivered with minimal footwork and maximum bat speed as balls flew thick and fast.
The full balls were muscled down the ground or over extra cover.
The short and wide deliveries were slashed or ramped while bouncers on the shoulders were either pulled or hooked without an iota of expression on his face.
It seemed like a regular job for the man, who also learnt ropes from Gautam Gambhir's childhood coach Sanjay Bhardwaj.
Connolly was in a different mould as his lofted sixes over extra cover and front-foot pull-shots into the deep mid-wicket stands would have even made his franchise coach Ricky Ponting proud.
Their batting styles were contrasting -- Priyansh scoring his half-century off just 19 balls and scoring the next 43 off 18 balls.
Connolly, on the other hand took some time as his 50 came off 35 deliveries but the next 37 came off 12.
Priyansh, who had a stellar debut IPL season, has been time and again proving that 2025 wasn't a mere flash in the pan.
The Delhi youngster was unfazed even as his opening partner Prabhsimran Singh was out first ball nicking an outswinger from Mohammed Shami.
A clueless LSG skipper Pant would certainly rue not taking the DRS when left-arm seamer Mohsin Khan had trapped Connolly in-front fairly early in the innings.
The replays confirmed that the TV umpire would have adjudged Connolly out.
Mohsin lost his confidence after that and gave 20 runs in his third over and the momentum slipped completely out of LSG's grasp.
The LSG bowlers sent down seven such overs in which 15 or more runs were scored including three in which 20 or more were taken. Aiden Markram alone conceded five sixes in an over.
The only saving grace for them was Prince Yadav (2/25 in 4 overs) who shone brightly as most of his colleagues were sent on a leather hunt.
Yadav was simply outstanding with his change of pace and blockhole deliveries. Both Connolly and Priyansh were dismissed in quick succession when century was there for the taking.
The Indian youngster was ambitiously going for his 10th six, but Marsh got him at the boundary ropes.
Even as LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was seen heaving a sigh of relief, the damage that had already been done by the Priyansh-Connoly pair was beyond repair.
