65 IIT students died by suicide in five years
Mumbai: The suicide of a student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur reported on Tuesday has once again drawn attention to mental health concerns on India’s premier technical education campuses.
Data from the last five years shows that an average of 12 to 13 students die by suicide every year across the IITs.
According to data compiled by the Global IIT Alumni Support Group, at least 65 students died by suicide at IITs between January 2021 and December 2025. Nearly 30 such cases were reported in the last two years.
Students pursuing undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes are among those who died. Authorities have often attributed the deaths to personal issues or academic pressure.
However, student unions and alumni associations argue that such explanations overlook deeper structural issues. They point to rigid evaluation systems, intense competition, social isolation and, in some cases, discrimination based on caste or language as contributing factors.
Faculty members, speaking privately, have acknowledged that early warning signs are frequently missed and that intervention often comes too late.
According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, around 13,000 students across the country died by suicide in 2023, an average of 36 deaths every day.
IIT Kanpur alone accounts for nearly 30 per cent of the total student suicides reported across IIT campuses. The Supreme Court has taken cognisance of the issue and constituted a task force to recommend measures to prevent student suicides and address mental health concerns.
Dheeraj Singh, founder of the Global IIT Alumni Support Group, said there is a need to fix accountability at the highest levels. He said institutional leadership must be held directly responsible in cases of student suicides to ensure meaningful reform.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.)
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Vijay unable to prove majority, not invited for CM oath ceremony: Sources
Chennai: Actor-politician Vijay has reportedly not been invited to take oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after failing to demonstrate support from the required number of MLAs, sources in Raj Bhavan said.
According to media reports that quoted sources in the office of R.N. Ravi Arlekar, Vijay could not prove the backing of 118 legislators, the majority mark in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Despite last-minute efforts to secure support from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazagam (AMMK), and an IUML legislator, Vijay reportedly managed support from only 116 MLAs, falling short by two members.
Sources said Vijay failed to submit letters of support from the VCK and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Later, the IUML issued a statement clarifying that it was not part of the TVK-led alliance.
Meanwhile, AMMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran is also said to have informed the Governor that his party would support the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) instead.
Earlier in the evening, Vijay had met Governor Arlekar and staked claim to form the government, stating that he enjoyed the support of 118 MLAs.
