Karnal, April 24 -- The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has taken cognisance of an April 19 Hindustan Times report, NIT Kurukshetra tells students to leave hostels, and sought a detailed report from the National Institute of Technology's director, the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police on the deaths of four students by suicide within two months. The authorities have been directed to submit their findings at least a week before the next hearing on May 19. During a hearing on Wednesday, the commission said that it has initiated a detailed inquiry into the "alarming incidents" of four students ending their life on the NIT campus since February. The HT report highlighted the cases of unnatural deaths and an attempted suicide last week, raising concerns regarding student safety, mental well-being, and institutional accountability. The suicides began on February 16 with the death of a 19-year-old first-semester computer science student from Telangana, followed by a student from Nuh, Haryana, on March 31. The crisis deepened on April 8 with the suicide of a third-year civil engineering student, culminating in the death of a 20-year-old second-year AI and data science student from Bihar on April 16. It was this final incident that acted as a breaking point for the student body, sparking late-night protests against the administration. The commission, comprising chairperson Justice Lalit Batra and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia, said the action taken by the institute, including the transfer of two professors, appears limited. "The suicide attempt (inside a hostel on the campus) on April 18 indicates that the measures taken so far are neither adequate nor effective," the HHRC said, observing that the situation points towards possible deficiencies in mental health support systems, counselling services, monitoring mechanisms, and crisis intervention protocols within the institution. The commission said the institute's duty extends beyond academic instruction to ensuring the physical and mental well-being of students and the recurrence of such incidents reflects a failure in fulfilling these obligations and raises concerns under Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life, dignity, and mental well-being. The HHRC noted that the matter engages India's international human rights commitments, particularly under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). It sought a report from NIT-Kurukshetra director BV Ramana Reddy on the circumstances leading to the deaths; availability, accessibility and functioning of mental health counselling services and mechanisms in place for the identification of students under stress or financial distress. However, Reddy remains without administrative and financial powers since they were withdrawn by the Union education ministry in a March 29 order. The senior most professor at NIT, Brahmjit Singh, is officiating in his absence and is likely to submit the report to the HHRC. He publicly deflected blame onto digital media and "loneliness" rather than academic pressure for the suicides. The HHRC has sought details of financial assistance schemes/support systems available to students; status and implementation of the proposed mentor-mentee programme; preventive measures adopted to avoid recurrence of such incidents; reasons and justification for directing students to vacate hostels and declaring closure and details regarding transfer of faculty members and any internal inquiry conducted. Deputy commissioner Vishram Meena has been asked to give details of the action taken by the district administration in response to the incidents; coordination with the institute regarding student safety; availability of district-level mental health support systems accessible to students; and any inquiry conducted at the district level into the recurring incidents.The superintendent of police Chander Mohan has been asked to submit details about the status of investigation in the April 18 suicide bid and earlier cases and findings so far regarding the cause and circumstances of deaths. This scrutiny follows a period of student unrest and protests that erupted after the death of a second-year student on April 16, which the administration initially met by declaring holidays and shutting down hostels. The recurring tragedies since February have plunged the campus into a state of tension, culminating in an administrative order on April 18 that declared holidays till further notice for all undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD students until further notice. Students were directed to vacate their hostels by April 19, a move the administration defended as a measure for "academic preparation" and student well-being, but which protesters labelled a strategy to stifle dissent....