Guwahati:

Days after massive protests erupted over the alleged student suicide, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati on Friday announced several initiatives to address the issue.

IIT Guwahati, which has seen four student suicides this year, said it has conducted a thorough investigation into each of these cases and has identified several factors contributing to these tragic events.

The Institute, where a third-year Computer Science student allegedly died by suicide this month, announced that a one-time medical checkup will be mandatory at the time of admission.

“While many of these incidents were non-academic in nature, they underscore the urgent need for enhanced support systems and preventative measures to safeguard the well-being of our students,” the Institute said in a statement.

To address these concerns, IIT Guwahati has implemented the following initiatives:

Comprehensive Medical Checkups:

Recognizing the importance of understanding students’ medical history, IIT Guwahati has introduced a mandatory one-time medical checkup at the time of admission. This will enable the Institute to provide tailored support and ensure students receive the necessary care, it said.

Open Dialogue:

The Institute has encouraged students to come forward and discuss any challenges they may be facing. A self-sustainable task force has been established to reach out to every student and provide the necessary support.

Enhanced Counseling Services:

In addition to existing counseling resources, the Institute is prioritizing the establishment of dedicated counseling services at the hostel level.

Faculty Advisory System:

To ensure students receive timely academic guidance and support, the faculty advisory system has been strengthened.

Massive Protests Over Student’s Death At IIT Guwahati 

Thousands of students had protested earlier this month, boycotting classes after a student’s death by suicide on September 2. The student, from Uttar Pradesh, was found hanging in his hostel room. 

It was the fourth student death at IIT Guwahati this year; an engineering student allegedly died by suicide on August 9.

The students demanded an investigation and accountability, believing that the institute had failed to respond to students’ complaints of mental harassment and stress.

Many students have raised concerns about the mental well-being of those studying at the institute and the role of the administration in creating a stressful academic environment.

The administration was urged to take immediate steps to address the issues flagged and improve support for students struggling with mental health challenges.

Students halted their protests after the dean of the institute, Professor Kanduru V Krishna, resigned.

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GUWAHATI

A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G) have developed pharmaceutical and food products from tea factory wastes. 

Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages on the globe with the world tea consumption expected to rise to 7.4 million tonnes from the current 6.3 million tonnes by 2025.

The increase in tea consumption leads to an increase in the generation of tea waste, leading to non-utilisation of valuable agricultural resources.  

The team led by Mihir Kumar Purkait of IITG’s Department of Chemical Engineering undertook a project to efficiently utilise the high lignin and low inorganic content in tea industry wastes. The outcome was a range of products for use in the pharmaceutical and food processing industries.

The range of innovative value-added products developed in their laboratory at IIT Guwahati includes low-cost antioxidant-rich supplements designed to provide an affordable healthier lifestyle option by harnessing green tea’s potential properties, and organic preservatives for extending the shelf life of vegetable and fruit juices for up to one year, ensuring long-lasting freshness. 

Among the other products are biochar for waste reduction and environmental restoration including carbon sequestration, micro and nano-crystalline cellulose tailored for intelligent packaging, and carbon quantum dots currently being explored for detecting harmful contaminants in water bodies. 

The research team comprising Somnath Chanda, Prangan Duarah, and Banhisikha Debnath apart from Prof Purkait has filed multiple patents on the basis of these developments. 

The findings of these studies have been published in various international journals including the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, Chemosphere, and Critical Reviews in Biotechnology. 

“The convenience and health benefits of catechin-based capsules open a promising avenue, offering users access to the advantages of catechins without the necessity of multiple cups of green tea. This caters to the increasing demand for antioxidant-rich supplements in our daily routines,” Professor Purkait said. 

The products from tea factory waste can have a wide range of applications that include food-grade activated carbon as an alternative to synthetic food colourant and natural-based mild abrasive material in toiletries such as toothpaste and body washes, he said.