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IIT-Kanpur expands mental-health support, adds mandatory screening for new students

Students identified as being at moderate or severe risk will be contacted by trained counsellors for detailed assessment, early intervention and referral to psychiatrists when necessary, ensuring timely and structured care from the outset.

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jan 23, 2026 09:40 AM IST

As a preventive measure, all new undergraduate and postgraduate students will undergo a mental health screening during their first week on campus.. (Source: File)

IIT Kanpur has expanded the Centre for Mental Health Wellbeing through the appointment of 10 full-time professional psychologists. These psychologists are trained to manage serious and complex mental health concerns. In addition, a clinical head who is a psychiatrist has been appointed to lead all clinical activities at the Centre, supported by three empanelled psychiatrists to ensure continuity of care and specialised intervention when required, as per a statement by IIT-Kanpur.

This notice came after a 25-year-old PhD scholar at the IIT-Kanpur died on Tuesday afternoon after he allegedly jumped from the sixth floor of a residential building on the campus, police said. No suicide note was recovered from the victim, identified as Ramswroop Ishram, a research scholar in the Department of Earth Sciences.

This is the third incident of a student dying allegedly by suicide at the institution in the past four months, a senior police official said.

As a preventive measure, all new undergraduate and postgraduate students will undergo a mental health screening during their first week on campus. Students identified as being at moderate or severe risk will be contacted by trained counsellors for detailed assessment, early intervention and referral to psychiatrists when necessary, ensuring timely and structured care from the outset.

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Further, the Institute will also conduct regular sensitisation workshops for faculty, students and staff, including security personnel, SIS guards, doctors, paramedics, library staff, hall managers, mess teams and cleaning staff, ensuring that everyone who interacts with students is equipped to recognise distress and respond appropriately.

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IIT-Kanpur has also put in place a 24/7 emergency mental health support system through close coordination between the Centre for Mental Health Wellbeing and the Health Centre, allowing immediate response in crises along with timely medical and psychological support at any hour.

Regular awareness programmes and workshops are organised across the academic year, complemented by student engagement activities such as World Mental Health Day observances, festival celebrations and events like run fests that encourage connection, participation and a sense of community.

Peer mentoring has been formalised for both undergraduate and postgraduate students, where senior students actively support new entrants as they transition into campus life.

Meanwhile, student suicides made up 7.6 per cent of all suicide cases reported across India in 2022, showing a slight dip from 8.0 per cent in 2021 and 8.2 per cent in 2020, according to official data shared in Lok Sabha. Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar shared the data from the Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) report published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in response to a written question in the Lower House

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What other IITs are doing?

Institutions like IIT Madras, IIT-Delhi and IIT-Guwahati have begun conducting workshops on stress management and resilience under the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme.