53 IIT students died in 5 years, 55% from SC, ST and OBC groups
In Short
Examine the official data revealing 53 student deaths across IITs between 2020 and 2025, with a significant majority involving SC, ST, and OBC students, highlighting growing concerns over academic pressure and mental health.
Share :
53 IIT students died in 5 years, 55% from SC, ST and OBC groups
New Delhi: At least 53 students died across the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) between 2020-21 and 2024-25, with more than half of the deaths involving students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
The figures, based on information submitted by IITs to the Union Education Ministry, include 45 suicides and eight unnatural deaths.
Together, SC, ST and OBC students accounted for 29 deaths, or 54.7% of the total. The data also shows a sharp rise in student deaths during the final two years of the five-year period.
IITs reported five student deaths in 2020-21 and six each in 2021-22 and 2022-23. The number rose substantially to 17 deaths in 2023-24 and further to 19 in 2024-25. Suicides accounted for 84.9% of all reported deaths during the five-year period. Of the 19 deaths recorded in 2024-25, six were classified as unnatural deaths. The figures indicate that the increase was particularly pronounced in the final two years, when deaths among students from SC, ST and OBC categories also increased. General category students accounted for 23 deaths, or 43.4% of the total.
All 12 OBC deaths, all seven ST deaths and the lone EWS death were reported as suicides. Nine of the 10 deaths among SC students were classified as suicides.
IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi and IIT Hyderabad recorded the highest number of student deaths, with seven each during the five-year period. IIT Kanpur and IIT (BHU) Varanasi recorded six deaths each, while IIT Madras reported five. Looking specifically at suicides, IIT Hyderabad recorded seven, followed by IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur with six each.
IIT (BHU) Varanasi and IIT Patna recorded the highest number of unnatural deaths, with two each. Academics and faculty members attributed the rise in student suicides to a combination of factors, including academic pressure, social isolation, limited faculty-student engagement and structural issues related to inclusion.
