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Indian Institutes of Technology are considering creating a proper cadre of mental health professionals who will be engaged to ensure the psychological well-being of students and faculty, according to IIT Directors. Several IITs have been at the centre of controversy this year for student suicides on campus due to different reasons. However, Directors of two IITs confirmed that the plan to create the cadre is not a fallout of the recent suicides but has been deliberated upon for at least two years. While IITs have taken initiatives in the past to address the mental health of students, the death of an IIT Bombay student on September 18, who was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his hostel room on campus, has triggered protests, bringing back the spotlight on student suicides. The incident came after an IIT Delhi student died by suicide in August, leading to outrage on the campus, and is one of the several such deaths that have occurred across the premier technical institutions of
The Mumbai police questioned Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) professor Suryanarayana Doolla for nearly 10 hours in connection with the alleged suicide of 22-year-old student Sahil Wakode, an official said on Saturday. Professor Doolla, who faces allegations of harassment and caste-based discrimination from the deceased student's parents, denied all charges during questioning on Thursday, the official said, adding that his statement has been officially recorded. Sahil Wakode was found hanging in his hostel room on the evening of September 18, hours after being caught while allegedly using his mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination. An FIR was registered by the Powai police against Professor Doolla based on a complaint lodged by the student's father. Sahil Wakode's parents, who went on a hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai seeking justice for their deceased son, have alleged caste discrimination at the premier institute. They have been
A 22-year-old student of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay committed suicide in his hostel room after he was allegedly caught using his mobile phone during an examination, police said on Saturday. According to a statement from IIT Bombay, Sahil Ravindra Wakode, a native of Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, had uploaded the examination question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers during the exam. The death is the third reported case of suicide at the IIT Bombay campus in Powai in seven months. In February, a second-year student died by suicide in a hostel. In July 2026, at the beginning of the new semester, a 20-year-old second-year BTech student also died by suicide. Wakode was a second-year BTech student in the Energy Science and Engineering department, police said. He was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his room in Hostel Number 4 on the Powai campus on Friday, an official said. He said that the death came to light after his hostel mates noticed no response from his r
Four Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Birla Institute of Technology (BITS), Pilani are among the world's top 50 institutions for different subjects, according to the latest QS World University rankings announced on Wednesday. London-based QS Quacquarelli Symonds, known for the university rankings, has published the 16th annual edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject. The rankings benchmark more than 21,000 academic programmes across 1,900 universities in over 100 countries, spanning 55 disciplines and five broad faculty areas. According to the rankings, India records 27 top 50 positions across subjects and broad faculty areas - more than double the 12 recorded in 2024 - earned by 12 institutions. Leading the individual charge is the Indian School of Mines University, Dhanbad, ranked 21st globally in Mineral and Mining Engineering, and IIM Ahmedabad, which ranks 21st in both Business and Management Studies and Marketing. Th
The IIT Council on Monday decided to set up a task force for coming up with a detailed action plan for adapting curriculum and pedagogy on real-time basis with the advent of artificial intelligence, officials said. The IIT Council, the apex coordination body of the 23 premier engineering institutes, met after two years on Monday. The council last held its meeting in April 2023. Commercialisation of research within higher education institutions (HEIs), reforming PhD education to enhance quality, global relevance and research outcomes, boost global rankings, attracting top-tier talent, and strengthening the IITs' reputation as hubs of advanced research are among the other agenda items which were discussed during the meeting. Extensive deliberations were held on the commercialisation of research within HEIs. The Council also highlighted adapting the curriculum and pedagogy on real-time basis with the advent of artificial intelligence. It was decided to constitute a Task Force to come u
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, have developed an eco-friendly composite material made of 'Bambusa tulda', a fast-growing bamboo species in northeast India, combined with biodegradable polymers, officials said on Thursday. Due to its properties, such as high strength, thermal stability, low moisture absorption and cost effectiveness, the developed composite is a suitable replacement of conventional plastics used in automotive interiors. The findings of this research have been published in the prestigious journal, Environment, Development and Sustainability (Springer Nature). Led by Poonam Kumari, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, the research not only addresses the problem of plastic waste, but also provides a solution to the growing global demand for greener materials, particularly in the automotive manufacturing industry. "The researchers tested four bamboo-based composite formulations consisting of Bambusa tulda fibres reinforced