A 26-year-old PhD scholar from Kerala, who was pursuing his doctorate at BITS Pilani's K K Birla Goa Campus, was found dead at his rented accommodation in Verna on Wednesday. This tragic incident marks the second student suicide at the institution within the current year.
Collector Confirms Preliminary Findings
South Goa collector Egna Cleetus confirmed that the preliminary assessment points to a case of suicide. She stated that a police investigation is underway and the postmortem report is awaited. The collector expressed concern over the recurrence of such incidents, noting, "This is the second incident reported this year. Last year, we unfortunately had four similar incidents."
Understanding the 'Suicide Contagion'
Cleetus attributed the repeated deaths to a phenomenon known as "suicide contagion" or cluster effect. This concept, recognized in psychological and public health literature, suggests that repeated exposure to suicide-related incidents increases vulnerability among at-risk individuals. "When there are repeated incidents of student suicide, vulnerable people tend to imitate and die by suicide when in an emotionally stressful situation," she explained.
District Committee Report Highlights Gaps
A district-level monitoring committee, established to review earlier suicide incidents, submitted its report to the government on February 2. The report identified significant gaps in mental health infrastructure on the campus. "One of the major findings was that they were not having an adequate number of mental healthcare professionals," Cleetus said.
Institutional Response and Measures
In response to the findings, BITS Pilani has augmented its mental health facilities. The institution now provides 24x7 in-house and external mental health support. Additionally, to reduce academic pressure, the institute has increased the number of electives and made certain papers optional. A compliance report has been submitted to the government.
On April 10, the directorate of health services conducted a medical camp on campus, followed by awareness sessions on stress management and emotional resilience. These efforts aim to address the psychological well-being of students and prevent further tragedies.
