Another IIT Delhi BTech student dies by suicide; second case in 2 months

NEW DELHI: Another BTech student of IIT Delhi allegedly died by suicide on September 1. It is the second incident of suicide in less than two months. The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) director Rangan Banerjee, in an official mail, informed about the demise of Anil Kumar who was pursuing BTech in Mathematics.

“With a very heavy heart, it is my unfortunate duty to inform you of the,very sad and untimely demise of a young member of our community, Anil Kumar (2019MT10674), a resident of Vindhyachal hostel. Unfortunately, Anil was found this evening hanging in his room, which was locked from inside,” the official mail read.

“The police have taken custody of his mortal remains. This tragic loss is also compounded by the fact that Anil belonged to the SC community. His family has been contacted and they are expected to arrive tomorrow morning. We extend our deepest condolences to them in their hour of grief,” IIT Delhi director’s mail read.

Aditya Mittal, dean, student affairs of IIT Delhi, confirmed that deceased BTech student Anil Verma’s caretaker and brother had confirmed that his father had died recently. “His caretaker informed us today about his father’s demise and his brother also informed us yesterday,” said Mittal.

While students are claiming that Kumar committed suicide a few days before his body was found yesterday, “Delhi Police is still investigating, there will be more clarity after we receive his post-mortem report,” added Mittal.

On July 10, Ayush Ashna belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community died by hanging himself inside his hostel room. Both Ayush and Anil Kumar belonged to SC and were students of mathematics department. Following Ashan’s death, the IIT director had asked for suggestions and ideas to improve the support system of IIT Delhi.

Also Read | Student suicides matter of concern, educational institutions should protect: President Droupadi Murmu

“How many more Aniket, Darshan, Ayush and Anil?? Why are IITs becoming graveyards for students from marginalized communities. Both IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi have SC ST cells, yet both fail to implement reservation or protect the students,” APPSC tweeted.

According to RTI data obtained by the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC), 19 out of the 23 IITs have an SC, ST cell, however, 16 are non-functional.

The data revealed that there was not a single SC, ST faculty in the departments where they studied. “Even after the calls of mission mode recruitment, IITs deliberately violated reservation norms to ensure that these institutes remain out of reach for dalit bahujan adivasis,” the study circle stated.

Shainal Verma, a member of APPSC and a Phd scholar at IIT Delhi, said, “We have sent a mass email to the director and requested the head of departments to call for suspension of classes to listen to our demands. We are demanding that on Monday from 7:30 AM onwards all classes must be suspended, along with a Openhouse with IIT Delhi director where he interacts with the students and listen to grievances of ST/SC students and recognise the need to address the growing deaths of marginalised students on campus.”

How many more Aniket, Darshan, Ayush and Anil?? Why are IITs becoming graveyards for students from marginalized communities. Both @iitbombay and @iitdelhi have SC ST cells, yet both fail to implement reservation or protect the students. #InstitutionalMurders @EduMinOfIndia pic.twitter.com/kx6wBaInX0

— APPSC IIT Bombay (@AppscIITb) September 1, 2023

Several other student groups took to X and raised concern over the rising suicide cases in IITs.

A student-run twitter handle Voice of IITD posted on X (formerly Twitter): “This incident has once again sparked concerns about the recurring trend of IITs becoming a place of despair for students.”

It's very sad that another BTech student from IIT Delhi, identified as Anil Kumar, who was pursuing his degree in the mathematics department and residing in Vindinyachal hostel, has unfortunately taken his own life today. @iitdelhi @AppscIITb @ndtv @ThePrintHindi @the_hindu

— Voice Of IITD (@VoiceofIITD) September 1, 2023

If you, or anyone you know, needs help, AASRA has a list of resources here: http://www.aasra.info/helpline.html