RTI data reveals 115 suicides among IIT students in last 20 yrs

Startling revelations have emerged from data obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) query, indicating that 115 students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) have died by suicide since 2005. The data, sought by Dheeraj Singh, an IIT Kanpur alumnus and founder of the Global IIT Alumni Support Group, sheds light on the distressing trend within the prestigious institutions. Of these tragic incidents, 98 occurred on campus, with hanging cited as the most common method.

IIT Madras leads the tally with 26 reported suicides, followed by IIT Kanpur with 18, IIT Kharagpur with 13, and IIT Bombay with 10 deaths over the past two decades. This year alone has witnessed five such incidents.

Singh's initiative to obtain this data stemmed from the demise of IIT Bombay student Darshan Solanki in February 2023. Following initial hurdles, including rejection of his RTI application, Singh's persistence led to the disclosure of vital information after an appeal to the Ministry of Education, prompting all IITs to share the necessary data.

In internal surveys conducted by various IIT student organisations following Solanki’s death, 61% of respondents believed that student deaths were due to academic stress. This was followed by job insecurity (12%), family issues (10%) and harassment (6%), 11% of students ticked the ‘Other Reasons’ column.