New Delhi, July 28 (NationPress) The Supreme Court raised alarming concerns on Monday over the escalating incidents of student suicides within educational institutions, interrogating the leadership of IIT Kharagpur and Sharda University regarding their response to recent tragedies. A Bench led by Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan, during a suo motu hearing, insisted on accountability from the two establishments.

“What is driving students to take such drastic measures? What steps is the management taking?” the Bench inquired, mandating both Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal police to submit detailed status reports within four weeks.

In the case concerning Sharda University, the court was informed by Amicus Curiae Aparna Bhatt that the father of a deceased dental student filed an FIR merely two hours after the incident. A suicide note was discovered, leading to the arrest of two individuals. Nonetheless, the court admonished the university for failing to adhere to previous Supreme Court mandates.

“Did the students notify their parents? Why was the college management not proactive in communicating this? Isn’t it their duty to alert both the police and the parents immediately?” the court questioned, highlighting concerns about administrative negligence.

The Bench refrained from further comments, acknowledging that investigations are ongoing.

In the IIT Kharagpur matter, Bhatt informed the court that local police had not provided substantial updates, prompting additional criticism from the Bench.

On July 21, the Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognizance of two student suicides—one involving a fourth-year engineering student from IIT Kharagpur and the other, a second-year BDS student from Sharda University in Greater Noida. The apex court had then requested explanations from these institutions regarding the timeliness of police notifications to enable criminal investigations.

The court also cautioned that any failure to promptly file First Information Reports (FIRs) could lead to contempt proceedings against the involved institutions.

Ritam Mandal, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student enrolled in a five-year dual degree program at IIT Kharagpur, tragically died by suicide on July 18. Hailing from Kolkata, his death marked the fourth such occurrence on the IIT Kharagpur campus since January 2025.

Earlier this year, on January 12, the body of Shaon Mallick, a third-year electronics engineering student, was discovered hanging in his hostel room.

In Greater Noida, Jyoti Sharma, a second-year BDS student at Sharda University, also succumbed to suicide in her hostel, raising further alarms regarding student mental health and institutional responsibility.