[Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416, and SNEHA’s suicide prevention helpline - 044 24640050 or from any of the numbers in this link]
The alarming trend of a surge in student suicides in the last ten years in India presents a pressing issue that calls for urgent action. The recent alleged suicide of a 20-year-old Nepali student at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University, Bhubaneswar, followed by student unrest, is a stark reminder of the seriousness of the mental health issues in higher education.
It is not an isolated case, as student suicide incidents are reported frequently at various institutions across the country, including premier ones like the IITs and the JEE coaching centres in Kota. As per the latest report from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in 2022 alone, over 13,000 student suicides were reported, which implies a loss of an average of 35 young lives per day.
Across the world, the largest cause of death among the youth is road accidents, whereas in India, it is suicides. Every life lost represents a tragic case of pain, despair, and unfulfilled aspirations of the youth. In order to highlight the urgency to address the critical issue, this article presents an overview of the trends in student suicides in India. It explores the root causes, examines the strategies, practices, and steps taken by various stakeholders to address the issue. It offers suggestions to move forward.
As per the NCRB report on, ‘Accidental deaths and suicides in India’, published in 2022, overall suicides during the last decade (2012-22), have increased by 26%. The share of student suicides has gone up steeply by about 55%, from 4.91% in 2012 to 7.63% in 2022. Over the last decade, while the number of students enrolled in Higher Education has grown by 43% from 30.2 million in 2012 to 43.3 million in 2022, the number of student suicides practically doubled from 6,654 in 2012 to 13,044 in 2022.
An analysis of the state-wise data reveals that the Southern Zone contributes 29% of the student suicides, followed by the Western Zone at 24%, reflecting the relative intensity of the student population in the respective zones. Five states, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Odisha, together account for 46% of the total student suicide cases in the country.
The above statistics are sourced from the NCRB, which uses police-recorded First Information Reports (FIRs) data. The actual numbers are estimated to be higher by about four times, because of possible under-reporting. This happens due to factors like social stigma and the criminalisation of attempted and assisted suicide under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code. Besides, there is a lack of a robust data collection system in rural areas, compared to urban areas.
While a detailed break-up of causes for student suicides is not available, a cursory analysis shows that major causes for student suicide are parental pressure for career choices, failure in examinations, ragging and bullying, financial stress, careers, caste discrimination, drug abuse, alcohol addiction, and failed relationships. In the age group of up to 18, examinations, particularly entrance examinations for professional courses, seem to be the major cause, whereas in the age group of 19 to 24, the other factors dominate.
As per the NCRB report, 2039 suicide deaths in 2022 (about 16%) are attributed to fear of failure in examinations, particularly in competitive examinations. In India, academic excellence is held in high esteem and is viewed as a means of ensuring a successful future. There is enormous competition to gain admission into colleges and the media hype around the results, and the shame associated with the fear of failure pushes adolescents to suicide.
Multiple factors are at play in examination failure suicides, which include low self-esteem, high expectations, impulsivity, over-anxious and over-ambitious parents, comparisons with peers, lack of support in the family, and more.SNEHA, an NGO working as a suicide prevention centre in Chennai, found a fourfold increase in calls and visits from suicidal students in the month of May when results of the public exams are announced.
Experiences of bullying or ragging can lead to severe mental distress. A report by the National Medical Commission (NMC), prepared by the National Task Force on Mental Health and Wellbeing of Medical Students, highlighted that ragging is a significant issue. It emphasized the need for active anti-ragging cells and strict penalties for offenders. Among undergraduate students, 16.2% reported suicidal ideation, while 4.4% of postgraduate students attempted suicide last year.
The high cost of higher education and the burden of educational loans can cause significant anxiety. Many students face financial constraints that exacerbate their overall stress.
Addiction to alcohol and use of substances has been on the rise in institutions, not only in metro cities but also rural areas.
In most of the suicide cases, reported to the police, routine investigations are conducted by various agencies, like the NHRC in the recent case of the KIIT University. Their findings, however, are rarely accessible to the general public.
Recently, a survey on student suicides was undertaken by Gregory Armstrong and 12 academic researchers, nine out of them from India and two each from Australia and the U.K. A total of 8,317 students from the 18 to 21 age group from 30 higher educational institutions in 15 cities across nine states of India participated in the survey.
It is the first such systematic research study, conducted in the Indian context to understand the phenomenon of student suicidality. The findings, reported in the Journal of Affective Disorders Reports available online since February 25, 2025, indicate that 12.3% of students reported suicide ideation in the preceding 12 months, and out of them 34.8% reported a suicide attempt in the same period.
Further, 33.6% of the participants reported moderate to severe symptoms of depression, and 23.2% reported moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety. The risk factors that are identified by the study include academic stress, large internet usage, poor relationships with family, increased use of alcohol and substances, and exposure to suicidal ideation in others. The report suggests that interventions to build stronger social support networks may help in the prevention of suicidal ideation among college students in India.
The Indian government launched its National Suicide Prevention Strategy (NSPS) in November 2022. In order to reduce the stress of examinations, it was recommended that the state governments introduce supplementary examinations at all levels. As a result of its implementation, Board Examination failure suicides showed a decreasing trend in 2022, when compared to the previous decade, but suicides due to failures in entrance exams reveal an alarming increase, as evidenced by the recent suicides in Kota JEE coaching centres.
The New Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) emphasizes student mental health and wellbeing. The Ministry of Education issued guidelines to schools aimed at enhancing sensitivity, understanding, and support in cases of reported self-harm. These guidelines emphasize the importance of nurturing partnerships between schools, parents, and the community to foster societal support as a critical strategy for preventing suicide and reducing the stigma associated with suicidal behavior.
According to the Supreme Court mandate, the UGC issued a Regulation in 2009 on curbing the Menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions. In 2016, the UGC asked all universities to set up a student counseling system to deal with all types of problems that the students might face such as anxiety, stress, fear of failure, homesickness, and other academic issues. The UGC also took a number of steps to avoid discrimination of students, by caste or otherwise, in the institutions.
This critical issue needs concerted action by all the concerned stakeholders, government, parents, educational institutions, and NGOs.
The government should capture the best practices followed by various HEIs to address the issue and provide comprehensive guidelines on mental health management of the students, which includes awareness courses on stress management and interventions to address the issues of the risk-prone students. Establishing dedicated suicide prevention helplines and raising awareness about these resources is crucial.
Parents should encourage open dialogues about academic pressures and mental health. While setting reasonable expectations is understandable, it is crucial to avoid forcing career choices upon the children based on their own aspirations and peer pressures. Instead, there is a dire need to provide emotional support and create a nurturing environment, wherein the student feels comfortable sharing issues freely without fear of judgment.
Educational Institutions play a pivotal role in guiding students to identify their passions, strengths, and values, empowering them to pursue fulfilling paths. Every educational institution should promote mental health awareness, establish peer counseling programs, and ensure that students have access to professional counselors.
These institutes should incorporate mental health education into their curricula, teaching students about emotional well-being, coping strategies, and more. Through open discussions about mental health, stigma can be reduced and help-seeking behaviour is promoted.
Although many institutions have anti-ragging policies, incidents of ragging and bullying persist. Institutions should enforce strict anti-ragging policies and take immediate action against offenders, besides taking preventive measures for ragging in hostels.
Strict vigil is called for to avoid drug abuse and alcohol in the hostels. Help from the Alumni can go a long way to address the challenges. Emerging technologies like AI can help in identifying mental health problems on the basis of initial symptoms and address the same before they escalate.
In a UNICEF survey conducted in 2021, only 41% of Indian youth agreed to share their mental health problems and experiences. While it may be easier to address issues concerning academics and careers, it needs skills to fathom the deeper concerns and anxieties related to relationships, interpersonal dynamics, social disconnectedness, and more.
The teaching staff, who are often the first point of contact for the students are not trained to address the issues effectively. At times, there may be a need for a trained psychological counsellor, particularly if the person is in mental distress. Different cohorts, in different age groups, have specific issues to be addressed. Social media also creates its share of issues by way of rising expectations and peer comparisons.
Student mental health issues are fast reaching crisis proportions leading to suicides and call for urgent action by all the stakeholders. The country has already lost many precious young lives and can not afford to lose any more. The plan of action to address this menace should include Prevention, early detection, and intervention in individual cases. It needs building and nurturing a student wellbeing ecosystem, in consultation with all the stakeholders and scalable capacity building to address the challenges. It is only then, that India can reap the demographic dividends.
(Dr O R S Rao is the Chancellor of the ICFAI University, Sikkim. Views are personal.)
Published - March 18, 2025 05:03 pm IST
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