New Delhi: The death of 26-year-old P. Janarthanan, a first-year Master of Public Health student at India’s one of the premier institutions – the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, during a class on September 7, 2026 is deeply distressing. Markazi Taleemi Board expresses its heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fellow students.
According to media reports, Janarthanan developed breathing difficulty during class and subsequently collapsed. Students have raised concerns about the availability of immediate emergency medical assistance and ambulance facilities on the Deonar campus. He was reportedly taken to a hospital in a private vehicle, where he later died of cardiac arrest.
Prof. Mohammad Salim Engineer, Chairman, Markazi Taleemi Board, said, “We must be extremely careful not to draw conclusions about the cause of this unfortunate death without a proper inquiry. At the same time, when a young student suffers a medical emergency on campus, every minute matters. The incident raises legitimate questions about emergency preparedness that deserve clear answers.”
Article 21 of the Constitution protects the right to life and personal liberty. While this tragedy cannot by itself establish any constitutional violation, institutions of higher education have a fundamental responsibility to provide a safe and responsive environment for their students. “Institutions must have clearly defined emergency protocols, trained first responders, access to CPR and AED facilities and reliable arrangements for immediate transportation to hospitals,”
Prof. Engineer added. “We urge TISS to conduct a transparent review of the incident and the government and UGC to establish and monitor uniform minimum emergency-safety standards across higher educational institutions.”
Markazi Taleemi Board hopes that lessons from this tragedy will help ensure that no student is left without timely assistance when every second can make a difference.
