Taking suo motu cognisance of the recent suicide cases at National Institute of Technology (NIT) Kurukshetra, Haryana Human Rights Commission has initiated a detailed inquiry into the alarming incidents.As per the commission, multiple incidents of student suicides and attempts have occurred within a short span, raising grave concerns regarding student safety, mental wellbeing, and institutional accountability.A girl student attempted suicide by jumping from the fifth floor of a hostel building but was rescued in time on April 17. Earlier, four students committed suicide in the institute from February 16 to April 16, leading to protests by fellow students alleging delayed response by the administration.The full commission, comprising chairperson Justice Lalit Batra, and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia, has expressed serious concern that despite successive incidents, the action taken by the institute appears limited, including the transfer of professors. The fresh suicide attempt on April 17, further indicates that the measures taken so far are neither adequate nor effective.The commission has observed that the situation points towards possible deficiencies in mental health support systems, counselling services, monitoring mechanisms, and crisis intervention protocols within the institution.Emphasising the responsibility of educational institutions, the commission stated that their duty extends beyond academic instruction to ensuring the physical and mental wellbeing of students. The recurrence of such incidents, prima facie reflects a failure in fulfilling these obligations and raises concerns under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which guarantees the right to life, dignity, and mental wellbeing.The commission has also noted that the matter engages India’s international human rights commitments, particularly under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), including, right to life, liberty, and security of person; right to education that promotes full development of human personality. In view of the seriousness of the matter, the full commission has sought detailed reports from the Director, NIT Kurukshetra, the Deputy Commissioner, Kurukshetra, and the Superintendent of Police (SP), Kurukshetra.The NIT Director is directed to submit a detailed report specifically indicating the circumstances leading to the death of four students and the attempted suicide by one student in quick succession, the availability, accessibility and functioning of mental health counselling services within the institute, and the mechanisms in place for the identification of students under stress or financial distress.The commission has also sought details of financial assistance schemes/support systems available to students, status and implementation of the proposed mentor-mentee programme, steps taken to ensure safety, monitoring and wellbeing of hostel residents. Preventive measures adopted to avoid recurrence of such incidents, reasons and justification for directing students to vacate hostels and declaring closure, and details regarding transfer of faculty members and any internal inquiry conducted.The Deputy Commissioner is directed to submit a status report, indicating action taken by the district administration in response to the incidents, coordination with institute authorities regarding student safety and welfare, availability of district-level mental health support systems accessible to students, and steps taken to address issues of financial distress among students, if any.The commission has also asked about any inquiry conducted at the district level into the recurring incidents, and measures proposed to ensure the prevention of such incidents in educational institutions within the district.The SP is directed to submit a detailed investigation report regarding the status of investigation in the present case as well as the other earlier cases, and findings so far regarding the cause and circumstances of deaths.Commission’s Assistant Registrar Dr Puneet Arora informed that all concerned authorities have been directed to submit their reports at least one week prior to the next date of hearing, May 19, before Haryana Human Rights Commission.