The School of Drama and Fine Arts in Kerala’s Thrissur and the Calicut University administration have denied hostel access for more than a month to Savitha* (name changed), a third year student, who attempted suicide inside the campus on two ocassions. Her first suicide attempt in 2022 was after she filed a sexual harrassment and rape case against a dean of the institution. The University has now asked her to produce a fitness certificate without which she cannot return to the hostel. While the university’s bureaucratic approach has come in for wide criticism, it turns out that this is a preferred method in premier institutions including the IITs.
On July 16, Calicut University officials offered a temporary solution asking Savitha and her parents to stay in the guest house of the drama school. “We want her to continue her academics under parental supervision. After many rounds of consultation, we decided to let her stay in the drama school guest house with her parents,” said Calicut University Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr M Nasser. However, Savitha responded that the solution is discriminatory and denies her agency, and might stigmatise and isolate her further.
On June 9, Savitha attempted to end her life for the second time inside the college campus. Her batchmates and friends took her to the Thrissur Medical college. She was discharged on June 12 and returned to campus.
Savitha first attempted suicide on February 13, 2022 following sexual harassment and alleged rape by the institute’s dean S Sunilkumar. Although Calicut University constituted an internal committee and recorded a detailed testimony in May 2022, Savitha said she is yet to get justice. The criminal proceedings in the case are still underway and the matter is sub judice.
Sreejith Ramanan, Head of the School of Drama’s Theatre Arts Department, told TNM that in Savitha’s discharge records, the psychiatrist has mentioned that she requires help and can only be permitted to stay with close relatives. “The report stated that the student needs all sorts of assistance and has to be given medication properly. We forwarded the report to Calicut University officials,” Sreejith said.
Soon after Savitha reached the campus, the director Abhilash Pillai suggested that she take a break to recover.
Speaking to TNM, Savitha said, “I was not ok with that. Taking a break would hamper my studies and my attempts to recover. Apart from theory, our course involves theatre productions too. As I have plans to join theatre production with my batch, I couldn’t risk missing out on classes,” Savitha said.
Following this, Savitha, her parents, and a few friends had an informal meeting with the HOD and the director and requested that she be allowed to stay with her parents outside the campus and continue as a day scholar. The school officials agreed.
However, staying outside the campus made it difficult for her to attend theatre rehearsals. “Ours is a residential course and access to the hostel is essential to take part in theatre rehearsals which mostly happen in the night. As it was difficult to reach the campus at night at the correct time, my batchmates would have to wait for me to start the rehearsal,” Savitha said.
As weeks passed, citing the difficulties of staying outside the campus, Savitha filed another request asking permission to stay in the hostel. “Upon instructions from Calicut University, we asked the student to produce a fitness certificate to be eligible for hostel accommodation,” said Sreejith.
When Savitha checked with the psychiatrist, he told her that it will take at least three months to issue the certificate.
Asked if there are any guidelines making it mandatory to show a fitness certificate, Satheesh EK, the Registrar of Calicut University, responded, “It’s a serious matter regarding a student’s life, you cannot always resort to guidelines.”
After failing to source the fitness certificate, the family wrote another letter requesting hostel access for Savitha. Her parents alleged that the administration made them write a letter saying that they will be responsible for whatever happened to Savitha in the future and that the drama school authorities and university administration should not be blamed.
When asked about this, Sreejith said, “If the student does anything, civil society and the media will blame us for being irresponsible and not giving adequate care to her.”
According to psychotherapist Shibili Suhanah, rather than safety and reputation, the well-being of the student must be the primary concern of the institute. “If an institute denies community support to a person with vulnerable mental health, chances of things getting worse are high. Such discriminatory measures might create a sense of abandonment and make them feel hopeless and worthless,” said Shibili.
She added that as a creative space, the campus has high potential to address mental health issues and heal a vulnerable person.
Ironically, on July 11, the drama school organised the play Every Brilliant Thing, which takes a compassionate approach to suicidal depression.
Eventually, the drama school officials gave permission to Savitha to access the hostel during break hours in the daytime. However, she had to adhere to different rules – she had to call the matron everytime she wanted to enter or exit the hostel, and was not allowed to close the door of her room.
According to Savitha’s parents, she felt guilty in making them stay with her. “She requested us many times to go back to home as both of us are employed,” her mother said. When her parents left, friends and batchmates stayed with Savitha.
Expressing deep concern about the isolation imposed upon her, Savitha wrote a letter to the Education Minister, Higher Education Minister, Health Minister, and the Calicut University Pro-VC and Registrar on July 14 seeking intervention in the matter.
“It is disheartening to see that the safety and credibility of the college appear to be the primary concerns, while neglecting the well-being and rights of students. Restricting a student’s access to hostel facilities solely based on their mental health history can be deemed unjust, perpetuating stigma, exacerbating vulnerability, and hindering academic progress and recovery,” her letter reads.
According to Shibili, the stigma around and criminalisation of suicide is hindering many vulnerable people from talking about it openly and seeking professional help. “I have encountered many clients who attempted suicide, but nobody knows this apart from their therapist.”
On July 15, Shibili posted an Insta story about the School of Drama incident and requested testimonies from people who faced similar issues. Within minutes, she received several responses.
A medical student who spent three days in ICU following a suicide attempt shared that the dean ordered the parents to stay with the student and later asked them to write a letter taking all responsibility to whatever happens to the student.
A student at a dental college in Bengaluru said that she took eight years to finish a five-year bachelor’s course due to the institute’s insensitivity regarding mental health issues.
“A psychiatrist advised me to take a break for three weeks following a severe depressive episode. I went to the principal’s office to get the leave approved. He said that he doesn’t believe in mental health and instead advised me to take two vodka shots. He said he was scared of my diagnosis; what if I lost it and had a psychotic episode at his office,” the woman said.
A student from the IIT Madras 2019 batch said that the administration ordered him to submit a fitness certificate to get reinstated in the college hostel. Following a depressive episode, the student decided to seek help from the mental health programme inside the campus. Instead of a mental health professional, the consultation was done by an administrative staff member. “The staff member diagnosed mine as a suicidal case, admitted me, and called my parents,” the student said.
The officials asked his parents to stay with the student outside the campus. “To reinstate me in the hostel, they suggested that I consult a psychiatrist and obtain a fitness certificate. I continued staying outside and later dropped out of the course.” He added that there are at least three IITIans who faced similar issues and were asked to submit a fitness certificate.
Emphasising that her fight was not against individuals but against an unjust system, Savitha said, “I am protesting against this injustice because I don’t want anyone else to face a similar ordeal. It’s essential to rectify such systemic injustice.”
Ashfaque EJ is an independent journalist.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm)
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.