MindGlass

IIT and MBBS Student Suicides: What We Need to Understand

Every time a student dies by suicide, the public conversation quickly turns toward marks, competition, family pressure, bullying, discrimination or mental health. But suicide is rarely explained by one event or one person. A student’s distress can develop through several pressures at once, which is why searching for one simple cause can sometimes hide the larger problem.

The deaths of students at prestigious institutions should make us ask an uncomfortable question: are our educational systems prepared to recognise distress before it becomes a crisis?

In demanding courses such as IIT programmes and MBBS, students may face academic competition, uncertainty about their future, financial concerns, relationship difficulties, isolation, discrimination and pressure to meet expectations. These pressures do not affect every student in the same way, and most students facing stress do not attempt suicide. But when several problems accumulate, a student can begin to feel trapped or unable to see a way forward.

What the latest IIT data shows

The latest official data provides a clearer picture. Across India’s 23 IITs, 53 student deaths were recorded between 2020–21 and 2024–25. Of these, 45 were classified as suicides and eight as other unnatural deaths. The total number of deaths increased considerably during the final two years of the period.¹

The official compilation does not provide a clear year-by-year suicide figure for the first two years in the publicly reported material. However, it records 45 suicides across the entire five-year period. The figures show that 2023–24 saw 16 suicides, compared with six in 2022–23, followed by 13 in 2024–25.²

Looking at individual institutions, IIT Hyderabad recorded seven suicides during the five-year period. IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur recorded six each, IIT Madras recorded five, and IIT (BHU) Varanasi recorded four.²

These numbers are serious, but they also need to be read carefully. The data does not provide the circumstances behind each death. Therefore, the figures alone cannot establish that academic pressure, caste discrimination, examinations, faculty behaviour or any other single factor caused these deaths.²

The responsibility of institutions

A college cannot prevent every personal crisis. But it can create an environment where students feel safe reporting harassment, discrimination, bullying or severe academic distress.

Complaints should be taken seriously and followed up. Faculty members, wardens, administrators and student representatives should know how to recognise warning signs and respond appropriately.

The same principle applies to medical colleges. MBBS students work under demanding academic and clinical environments, often while dealing with long hours, examinations, responsibility for patients and expectations from family and society. The answer cannot simply be to tell students to become tougher.

Friends can notice what institutions miss

A student may not first approach a psychologist, teacher or administrator. They may speak to a roommate, classmate, friend or sibling.

Sudden withdrawal, hopelessness, major changes in behaviour, talking about death or saying that they feel like a burden should not automatically be dismissed as attention-seeking.

Asking someone directly whether they are thinking about suicide does not increase suicidal behaviour. What matters is listening without judgement, taking the person seriously and helping them reach appropriate professional support.

What needs to change

Prevention requires more than counselling rooms that students may hesitate to enter.

Institutions need accessible mental-health services, confidential complaint mechanisms, trained faculty and wardens, peer-support systems, clear responses to harassment and discrimination, and regular efforts to understand what students are actually experiencing.

Families also have a role. Academic success should not become the only measure of a young person’s worth.

We should also be careful when discussing individual deaths. Turning a tragedy into a simple story about marks, caste, a professor, an examination or family pressure may feel satisfying, but it can prevent us from understanding the full picture.

The larger lesson is simple: mental health is not only an individual’s responsibility.

Families, friends, teachers, institutions and communities all have a role to play.

We cannot help everyone, but everyone can help someone.

For someone experiencing suicidal thoughts or severe emotional distress in India, Tele-MANAS can be reached at 14416 or 1800-89-14416. In an immediate emergency, contact local emergency services.

References

• https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/53-students-died-across-iits-in-5-years-more-than-half-of-them-scs-sts-obcs-suicides-data-101790103843880-amp.html

53 students died across IITs in 5 years, more than half of them SCs, STs, OBCs | India News

• https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/story/iit-student-suicides-45-deaths-five-years-28-sc-st-obc-3000671-2026-09-22

45 student suicides reported at IITs in 5 years; 62 per cent from SC, ST, OBC communities – India Today