A reply to an RTI query has revealed that twenty-seven students across 10 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in India have committed suicide in the last five years.

According to the Department of Higher Education (DHE) data, IIT Madras tops the list with seven students committing suicide. The department under the Ministry of Human Resources and Development replied to a query raised by RTI activist Chandrashekhar Gaur on December 2.

As per the data, between 2014 and 2019, seven students from IIT Madras, five from IIT Kharagpur and three each from IIT Delhi and IIT Hyderabad committed suicide. Two students each from IIT Bombay, IIT Guwahati and IIT Roorkee, and one student each from IIT Varanasi (BHU), IIT (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad and IIT Kanpur also committed suicide during the past five years.

When asked about the measures taken to curb student suicides, the DHE said, “Systems are in place in IITs to enquire and take action in all complaints received from students in IIT campuses, which includes Student Grievance Cell, Disciplinary Action Committee, Counseling Centres, etc.”

Meanwhile, Anand Kumar, founder of Super 30, a Patna-based IIT coaching centre, expressed concerns over the student suicides.

“In the present situation, the nature of the selection process for the IITs needs to be changed. In this process, students with innovative skills who can withstand different pressures of life should be given preference,” Kumar was quoted in The Hindu.

He added that to ensure each student gets proper attention, the number of teachers in IITs should be in proportion to the students. He also suggested incorporating special English classes for the students who come to IITs from non-English medium schools.

The latest case of suicide was in November. Fathima Latheef, an IIT Madras student committed suicide after being allegedly harassed by the faculty on religious grounds. The student had also named three professors in her suicide note for pushing her to the edge. 

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