IIT-Madras student dies by suicide, 33 deaths reported in last 5 years

Police reported on Friday that a second-year BTech student from IIT-Madras allegedly committed suicide. The body was sent for a post-mortem by the police. It has been three months since the last suicide. The dead man has been identified as 20-year-old Cauvery Hostel resident Kedar Suresh.

Suresh's friends contacted the warden, who then called the police after they noticed that his room had been shut for hours. He was discovered hanging from a ceiling fan as police forced open the door. The police department in Kotturpuram has opened a case.

On Wednesday, April 19, 2023, IIT-Madras held a series of wellness lectures for its students in light of the recent uptick in suicides on campus.

(Also Read: Former J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik called for questioning by CBI in Reliance Insurance case)

The IIT has started an initiative to raise awareness of mental health issues and the numerous tools students have at their disposal to deal with and lessen stress whenever it arises.

This was the fourth case reported from February 2023. In the past five years, 33 students have died by suicide at the Indian Institutes of Technology, according to information provided to the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday by the Ministry of Education. The data span the years 2018 through 2023.

According to the ministry's response in parliament, there have been 61 suicides in this time period at IITs, National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). Indian Express reported this statistic. More than half of these suicides occurred in IITs. In these five years, NITs reported 24 and IIMs three.