Ministry of HRD To Set up a Judicial Commission on Rohit Suicide and related issues

The Fact Finding Committee constituted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in the wake of the chain of unfortunate events at the Central University Hyderabad submitted its report to the Ministry on 22nd January 2016.

Based on its observations and findings, the Ministry has decided to constitute a Judicial Commission to review the entire sequence of events and the circumstances; and to establish the facts and correctives in the context of the University. The Judicial Commission will submit its report within 3 months.

The Union Minister Smt Smriti Zubin Irani today spoke to the mother of Rohith, the young research scholar and extended her condolences.

In order to address the issues faced by the students from disadvantaged social, economic and educational backgrounds in higher educational institutions comprehensively and to prevent such unfortunate incidents in future, the Ministry has decided on the following course of action:

A programme will be launched for sensitising academic administrators about understanding and handling problems faced by socially, educationally and economically disadvantaged students. All wardens, administrative staff and Registrars would be compulsorily put through this orientation programme. A special module will be prepared for this orientation.

A special mechanism would be set up at the Ministry for receiving and taking expeditious action on the grievances from these students.

All VCs and senior administrators would be sensitised to reach out to socially, economically and educationally disadvantaged students. There should be zero tolerance for any acts of discrimination on campus. A special Charter would be issued to all the HEIs in this regard.

The Peer-group Assisted Learning (PAL) of IIT Gandhinagar would be extended to all the HEIs, under which Mentors would be arranged for the socially, economically and educationally disadvantaged students not only to assist them in education, but to support them with regards to challenges being faced by them within their Institutions.

Caricature by Dwijith.C.V