Three weeks after a 19-year-old student from Uttar Pradesh died by suicide on the PEC campus, Panjab University (PU) continues to operate without a full-time counsellor for its nearly 16,000 students. After repeated concerns raised by student bodies and authorities, a second part-time counsellor was appointed in January 2026. (File) The university currently relies on two part-time counsellors, even as recent UGC guidelines mandate stronger and more accessible mental health support in higher education institutions, even as University Grants Commission (UGC) has proposed rules making institutional mental health support compulsory across campuses. The draft guidelines mandate higher education institutions to appoint at least one qualified mental health professional for every 100 students and run a 24×7 helpline for student grievances and psychosocial concerns, linked to national mental health helplines. A key provision states that any institution with 100 or more students must have at least one qualified clinical psychologist, psychologist or mental health professional. PU had been functioning with only one part-time counsellor for over a year. After repeated concerns raised by student bodies and …