Mumbai: The alleged suicide of a second-year student at IIT Bombay on Wednesday has once again brought to the fore concerns about mental health support for students. Soon after the incident, the institute administration sent an email to students with details about one-on-one counselling services and support systems, and urged those in distress to seek help.
Wednesday’s suicide is all the more alarming as IIT Bombay has been paying attention to mental health after the death of student Darshan Solanki in February 2023, which prompted the IIT council to issue guidelines aimed at improving mental wellness on campuses.
Data obtained under the Right to Information Act shows student suicides are rising at IITs. Between 2021 and 2025, 65 suicides were reported across IITs nationwide, with 54 victims being male. The number of cases per year rose steadily during the period, from nine in 2021 to 15 in 2025.
Commenting on the issue, Dheeraj Singh, an IIT Kanpur alumnus who runs a global mentoring network for IIT students, said that repeated incidents across premier institutes point to deeper problems.
“While any student death is a tragedy, recurring cases highlight the need to examine whether mental health frameworks are being implemented effectively, with clear accountability, early warning systems and independent review,” Singh said.
While planning interventions, the focus should be on prevention and long-term support rather than reactive measures, he said.
Bhalchandra Mungekar, senior educationist and former vice chancellor of the University of Mumbai, who had stood with the Solanki family and raised concerns about suicides on campuses, said such incidents at institutionslike IITs damage their academic and moral standing.
“Repeated suicides are not just personal tragedies, they reflect institutional failure,” he said.
Urging immediate action, Mungekar said governing councils of these institutions must take serious cognisance of such incidents, identify the core reasons, and frame strong, enforceable guidelines along with long-term remedies.
Delhi based education activist Aditya Anand, who works on student wellness and academic awareness, said such tragedies are linked to broader institutional hierarchy. He pointed out the same in a letter to the Ministry of Education recently, he said.
“Government policies and branding have created an ‘elite’ status for IITs, fuelling intense competition, a large coaching industry, and pressure around identity rather than learning,” said Anand. “This contributes to mental health stress among engineering students.”