The Centre on Wednesday said the IITs have taken a multi-pronged approach, including providing psychological support to students to check cases of suicide, in an answer that experts and students found to be ignoring institutional lacunae.
CPI MP P.P. Suneer, in the Rajya Sabha, sought details on measures taken to address mental health concerns amid increasing suicides across IITs. According to data compiled by Dheeraj Singh, founder of the Global IIT Alumni Support Group, 46 students have died by suicide in the 23 IITs since 2023. During the same period, 34 suicides were reported in 31 NITs.
In a written reply, minister of state for education Sukanta Majumdar said IITs have implemented multi-pronged measures to provide psychological support to students, faculty and families to promote mental and emotional well-being and prevent suicides. He said the ministry of education (MoE) launched the Manodarpan initiative, under which callers receive guidance from trained counsellors through a toll-free helpline. Live interactive sessions and webinars are also conducted to spread awareness about mental health.
IITs have also established student wellness services aimed at promoting well-being through volunteer programmes, counselling and training sessions, and grievance redressal mechanisms, the minister said.
Majumdar added that the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued an advisory to higher educational institutions in January 2023 regarding the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. In July 2023, the MoE circulated a broad framework for the emotional and mental well-being of students in higher educational institutions (HEIs).
However, critics described the government’s response as bureaucratic and detached from ground realities.
A PhD graduate from an IIT shared with Singh what he termed “systemic issues” he experienced during his time at the institute. The IITs tend to treat PhD scholars purely for their own convenience, the student wrote.
“In return for a stipend, students are expected to work like full-time staff (9-5), remain available around the clock for research and meetings like faculty, yet when it comes to respect and dignity, they are labelled ‘students’ and subjected to the same rules as undergraduates,” he said.
In most cases, he added, supervisors are assigned by the institute and unilaterally decide the research topics.
“Very few allow students autonomy in thinking, planning research, or making career-related decisions. Attending even a single conference or workshop requires permission. When outcomes are positive, supervisors take full credit; when progress stalls, the blame is shifted entirely to the student. PhD supervision is highlighted for promotions and benefits, but accountability disappears when problems arise — reduced to ‘it’s your PhD’,” he said.
“Supervisors often keep students running unfocused experiments for years, exhaust five crucial years of their lives, and then abandon responsibility. Neither the institute nor the ministry questions such delays or demands accountability. The blame is consistently placed on students, delays are normalised, futures are jeopardised, and prolonged mental distress becomes routine,” said the student.
“If a PhD student dares to approach higher authorities, the system closes ranks. They are harassed, isolated and emotionally broken down, made to feel helpless so that they eventually give up — serving as a warning to others not to speak out. This silent suppression operates like an invisible but deeply harmful syndicate,” he said.
Singh told The Telegraph that student suicides are not the result of a lack of guidelines but of weak implementation, unclear accountability, and a narrow understanding of mental health as an individual issue rather than a systemic responsibility.
“Global evidence shows that institution-wide, leadership-driven, prevention-first models save lives. The question is no longer what works, but whether institutions are willing to change how they operate,” Singh said.
In the Rajya Sabha, Congress MP Jebi Mather Hisham also urged the government to take stronger steps to address the increasing number of student suicides nationwide.
“Social media is influencing our youth and adolescents. Many struggle to distinguish reality from the virtual world they create. Behavioural patterns, cyberbullying and suicidal tendencies are linked to the environments they inhabit. I urge the government to prioritise youth mental health and integrate it into the curriculum,” she said.