16,500 students, one personal note each: IIT Kharagpur moves on mental health
By TUF News Desk · Published 15 October 2026 · 3 min read
Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy
Some time after midnight on Wednesday, student volunteers were moving through the hostels of IIT Kharagpur with 16,500 cards. By morning, every student on campus had received one: a personalised wellbeing card, left in their room.
The cards were part of mental health initiatives the institute organised around World Mental Health Day, observed on October 10. In its statement, the institute said the outreach was meant to remind students that support was available, and that the whole campus was behind them.
World Mental Health Day is observed every year on October 10 to raise awareness about the importance of mental health. IIT Kharagpur framed the week around that occasion, treating mental health as an everyday concern rather than a response to a crisis.
SETU, the integrated student campus initiative, led the effort. SETU also runs as a mobile application, offering students wellbeing support, mental health support, academic tracking and emergency assistance.
Getting 16,500 cards into every room in one night was no small task. The institute said its G-Sec Welfare Team worked through the night to prepare and deliver them, with the Institute’s Security Section helping reach students across the campus.
Dean of Student Wellbeing Professor Arun Chakraborty told students that mental health was an important part of everyday life, and that the campus needed to be a place where every student felt heard, understood and supported.
Eleven short films made by students were also screened, on the theme of mental health beyond illness and clinical diagnosis.
The outreach came at a heavy moment. Seven student deaths were reported at IIT Kharagpur in 2025, and on August 13 this year a second-year mechanical engineering student from Rajasthan died after allegedly falling from the third floor of a campus building. The message also arrived days after the death of a second-year BTech student at IIT Bombay, which prompted a student protest on that campus this week.
For Kharagpur, the cards were the institute’s way of reaching every student directly, with a personal note on a desk for each of the 16,500.
Frequently asked questions
What were the wellbeing cards given at IIT Kharagpur?
Personalised cards handed to 16,500 students on October 14, 2026, as part of the mental health outreach IIT Kharagpur organised around World Mental Health Day.
What is SETU at IIT Kharagpur?
SETU is the integrated student campus initiative at IIT Kharagpur. It also runs as a mobile application providing wellbeing support, mental health support, academic tracking and emergency assistance.
Who organised the card distribution?
The SETU team led the initiative. The G-Sec Welfare Team worked through the night preparing and delivering the cards, with the Institute’s Security Section helping reach students across campus.
What made the cards different from a notice or circular?
They were personalised, one prepared for each of the 16,500 students, and delivered to student rooms overnight instead of being put up on notice boards.
Why did IIT Kharagpur run this outreach?
The outreach follows a difficult record at the institute, with seven student deaths reported in 2025 and another in August this year, and it came days after a student death at IIT Bombay.
Frequently asked questions
What were the wellbeing cards given at IIT Kharagpur?
Personalised cards handed to 16,500 students on October 14, 2026, as part of the mental health outreach IIT Kharagpur organised around World Mental Health Day.
What is SETU at IIT Kharagpur?
SETU is the integrated student campus initiative at IIT Kharagpur. It also runs as a mobile application providing wellbeing support, mental health support, academic tracking and emergency assistance.
Who organised the card distribution?
The SETU team led the initiative. The G-Sec Welfare Team worked through the night preparing and delivering the cards, with the security section helping reach students across campus.
What made the cards different from a notice or circular?
They were personalised, one prepared for each of the 16,500 students, and delivered to student rooms overnight instead of being put up on notice boards.
Why did IIT Kharagpur run this outreach?
The outreach follows a difficult record at the institute, with seven student deaths reported in 2025 and another in August this year, and it came days after a student death at IIT Bombay.
Sources: The Indian Express, Free Press Journal