The headlines are loud: fifth student death at BITS Pilani Goa. Another young life, another grieving family, another institution under a cloud. But let’s be honest — this is not just about BITS Pilani.
We are not prioritising mental health in education. And now, students are dying.
As Chairperson of the Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, I raised this repeatedly — through reports, directives, articles, and campaigns. We warned that institutions were turning into pressure cookers. We warned students were suffering in silence. We warned that the absence of full-time mental health professionals was putting lives at risk. Yet — nothing changed.
We’ve treated mental health as a bonus, not a right. Today, we are seeing the consequences.
This Is What Happens When We Ignore the Law
On July 25, 2025, the Supreme Court of India issued a landmark order in Sukdeb Saha v. State of Andhra Pradesh — laying out 15 binding guidelines for all educational institutions. These include:
- One trained full-time counsellor in every institution with more than 100 students
- Referral systems for smaller institutions
- Mandatory staff training twice a year
- Crisis response protocols, suicide prevention systems
- Zero tolerance for public shaming and academic coercion
- District-level monitoring and annual audits
None of this is optional. None of this is being followed. Goa has not notified the Mental Health Care Rules under MHCA 2017. There is no public tracking of compliance, no district-level audits. This isn’t just disappointing. It’s dangerous.
BITS Today. Another Institution Tomorrow
We must stop asking “Why here?” and start asking, “Why aren’t we prepared anywhere?” What happened at BITS Pilani could — and will — happen at any school or college in Goa. Our current system guarantees it: by underfunding mental health, rotating counsellors, overburdening teachers, and treating suicides as isolated tragedies instead of systemic failure.
Goa’s Response So Far? Not Enough
The Mukhyamantri Samupadeshna Yojana, with 150 counsellors and 25 supervisors, barely scratches the surface. With 1,000 schools and a similar number of higher institutions, this means one professional per 6–7 institutions. Most students have no real-time access to help. Crises don’t wait weeks. And the scheme excludes private institutions, hostels, and coaching centres — where pressure is often highest.
What Must Be Done Now
- Notify the Mental Health Care Rules under MHCA 2017
- Enforce the Supreme Court’s 15 guidelines
- Mandate one full-time professional per institution
- Release public audit data
- Hold institutions legally accountable
This Is a Turning Point — Or a Warning
Either Goa acts now — decisively and transparently — or we continue until the next student dies, and pretend to be shocked again. This is not a one-campus crisis. It’s a statewide emergency. And we are running out of time.
(The writer is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at the D.D. Kosambi School of Social Sciences and Behavioural Studies, Goa University. He has served as the Hon’ble Chairperson of the Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights)
