New Delhi/Karnal, April 18 -- A second-year student was found dead at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Kurukshetra on Thursday, police said on Friday, in the third suspected case of suicide at the premier engineering institute this month. The incident sparked protests by students who demanded a thorough probe and alleged delayed action by NIT authorities. Police said the 20-year-old student was found dead inside her hostel room on Thursday at around 3 pm. The student was from Bihar's Buxar district. A Kurukshetra police spokesperson said that an autopsy was conducted in the presence of the student's family. Kurukshetra Police refused to divulge more details on the latest suicide calling it a "sensitive issue" and added that matter is under investigation. An NIT-Kurukshetra official said the institute had earlier initiated measures to review students' mental health and the latest incident underlines the need "strengthen support systems". Protesting students alleged negligence on part of the administration, claiming there was a delay in taking action after the student was found dead even after authorities were informed. NIT did not respond to the allegations in the statement shared with HT. "An autopsy was conducted at LNJP hospital in Kurukshetra in the presence of the girl's family members and the body was handed over to them. We are further investigating the matter," a Kurukshetra Police spokesperson said. NIT students on Friday demanded a comprehensive inquiry into the cases, improved counselling services, and better crisis response mechanisms. A second-year B.Tech student said, "Academic pressure, financial crisis and family expectations along with inadequate institutional support are some of the key factors contributing to these incidents." One of the members of the student's council alleged that after the suicides, the NIT assigned their academic professors as mentors, "who have no professional experience in mental health, which shows their non-serious attitude on the issue." Gian Bhushan, NIT in-charge of public relations, said that a delegation of students met the senior authorities on Friday to convey their demands. "After the third suicide on April 8, we had already initiated several measures, but this latest incident has further underlined the need to strengthen support systems," he said. "Under the initiatives, the faculty was directed to increase interaction with the students...They were told to identify the students who need counselling and further steps will be taken to help them accordingly. We also decided to organise hostel-wise stress management and sports activities, enhancing surveillance through installation of CCTVs and grills, and closing vulnerable locations," he added. The institute, meanwhile, announced "preparatory holidays" from Friday (April 17) to May 4. Students said the institute has not previously declared such preparatory breaks and questioned the sudden move, noting that classes scheduled until April 22 have been cancelled despite incomplete syllabus coverage. "Our syllabus is incomplete and the institute might hold continuous classes when we return to the campus from our homes after the break. The institute will hold ongoing practical exams online and it is feasible as we write programs on our laptops and submit them digitally. The only change is the venue, shifting from labs to our hostel rooms or homes," said a second-year BTech student. The latest death marks the fourth such case on campus in less than two months. On February 16, a 19-year-old first-semester Computer Science student from Telangana was found dead in his hostel room. On March 31, a third-year student from Nuh allegedly died by suicide, followed by another case on April 8 involving a 22-year-old civil engineering student from Sirsa. Officials from the Union ministry of education did not respond to HT's request for a comment. However, a member of a three-member review committee -- which was formed by the education ministry in March to review the institute's functioning and leadership -- said the "recent incidents have prompted us to also examine student support systems, along with governance, recruitment and transparency." The committee will visit the institute next week, the panel member said, asking not to be named. The recent incidents come amid heightened scrutiny of student mental health in higher education institutions. In March 2025, the Supreme Court constituted a National Task Force to examine the issue of student suicides. Based on its early findings, the court in January 2026 issued interim directions mandating that institutions cannot evict students from hostels, bar them from examinations, or remove them from academic programmes over delays in scholarship disbursal. It also directed that all unnatural deaths be reported to the police, even if they occur outside campus. Experts said the clustering of such incidents raises concerns about the visibility and accessibility of support systems on campuses. Ganesh Kohli, founder of Mumbai-based International Career and College Counseling (IC3) Movement, said, "When incidents occur in close succession, it raises questions about how trusted and accessible student support systems really are. What appears as a delayed response may reflect a deeper gap-students are not seeking help early enough, and institutions are unable to identify distress in time."...