Tezpur University student found dead in hostel; varsity to review mental health support
A fifth-semester Tezpur University student was found dead in his hostel room, with police pointing to suicide. The varsity will form a committee to review student mental health support.
A fifth-semester student of Tezpur University in north-central Assam was found dead in his hostel room, with a preliminary police investigation pointing to suicide. The university confirmed the death in a statement issued by its Registrar on Thursday.
The Registrar said the university was extending support and cooperation to the authorities concerned in line with due procedure, adding that the exact circumstances and any possible factors behind the incident were yet to be officially established.
According to the statement, the university will set up a high-level committee to review its existing mechanisms for supporting students' mental well-being and to identify ways of strengthening them. The panel will consult students, faculty members, wardens, counsellors and other members of the university community to understand their experiences and suggestions before recommending measures.
The death comes less than a fortnight after a student at the North East Regional Centre of the Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education at Sonapur near Guwahati died following what fellow students alleged was medical negligence.
That student began complaining of severe abdominal and back pain on September 4. Her roommates and other students alleged that the campus doctor repeatedly prescribed painkillers without diagnosing or treating the underlying cause, and that her condition worsened. She was taken to a private hospital in Guwahati, where she died after doctors identified a serious complication.
Her death triggered protests on the Sonapur campus, with students flagging the absence of permanent, full-time doctors, inadequate emergency infrastructure and the lack of an ambulance service. They also demanded ₹50 lakh in compensation for the victim's family.
The college authorities subsequently suspended chief warden Meriline Gogoi pending an inquiry, with orders that she not leave the campus. The services of two others — contractual campus physician Jyoti Prasad Barman and contractual nurse Ripanjali Konwar — were terminated.
Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the Tele-MANAS helpline 14416 and Sneha's suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.