Rains continue to lash Udupi, low-lying areas inundated
Udupi (PTI): Torrential rains continued to lash Udupi district on Tuesday disrupting normal life.
Several low-lying areas in Karkala, Kundapur, Thekkatte, Hirgana, Basruru, Barkuru, Nitturu, Kaup and Udyavara were still under knee-deep water and roads were either blocked or rendered unmotorable, officials said.
A part of the National Highway 66 between Puttur in Udupi and Kolalagiri Road also witnessed waterlogging.
As a result of the waterlogging, a car driver reportedly misjudged the depth of the water on the road and drove straight into a bog nearby and the vehicle got stuck on the Kannarpady-Kadekaru link road in Udupi rural police station limits.
Officials said all four persons in the car got out safely . The vehicle which was stuck in the water was later recovered by Fire department personnel with the help of local people.
Dakshina Kannada district which experienced heavy to very heavy rain on Monday, saw rainfall activity continue on Tuesday with places like Mangaluru, Puttur, Bantwal.
Belthangady, Sullia and the ghat section of the Gundya-Shirady sector continued to receive heavy rains on Tuesday which led to traffic snarls on various stretches, officials said.
The Dakshina Kannada administration put the district on 'Red Alert' on Tuesday following which the schools and PU colleges were closed.
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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.)
