IIT KGP director introduces SETU outreach initiative for students

kolkata: following four unnatural student deaths on campus this year, iit kharagpur on friday launched a mental health and wellness framework titled setu — support, empathy, transformation and upliftment — aimed at creating a resilient, inclusive and student-driven support system.christened iitkgp, a human-tech renaissance in higher education, it was formally launched on friday by iit director professor suman chakraborty.the initiative is designed not as a standalone support service, but as a deeply integrated, tech-powered and human-centric ecosystem, an institute spokesperson said.meaning a bridge in sanskrit, setu is a metaphor for turning isolation to inclusion, vulnerability to strength, distress to resilience, mind to heart, tradition to technology — marking a bold paradigm shift, the spokesperson elaborated.the rollout follows the tragic deaths of four students in 2025 — shaon mallik (jan 12), aniket walker (apr 20), mohammad asif qamar (may 4), and most recently ritam mondal (jul 18) — which triggered widespread concern about the mental health and academic stress among students.the spokesperson said, "setu offers one-on-one therapy, psychiatric care, group sessions, 24/7 online counselling (via yourdost), and campus-wide outreach without stigma. it also includes an ai-powered emotional health monitoring embedded in halls, academics enabling real-time, culturally sensitive support through anonymous check-ins and early-alert systems."the initiative also encompasses peer-led empowerment through groups like welfare committees and hostel-level units, making wellbeing a decentralized student-driven culture.