At least 171 students in various Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have died by suicide or in other unnatural ways in the last 20 years – between January 2006 and September 2026.
The data also points to differences based on social category. Singh’s analysis estimates that the suicide death rate among SC and ST students was around twice that of general category students during this period. It also found that SC and ST students who died were, on average, younger than their counterparts in the general and OBC counterparts.
Student deaths were reported more frequently around examinations and the announcing of results, and declined during semester breaks, according to Singh, adding that in 70% of suicide cases, students had taken their lives by hanging. Male BTech students and women PhD students appear to be a particularly vulnerable group and together account for around 60% of suicides in the 20-year period, according to Singh’s estimates.
