At least 53 students died across the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) between 2020-21 and 2024-25, with more than half belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC), according to official data obtained by Hindustan Times.
The figures include 45 suicides and eight deaths classified as unnatural. The data was compiled from information submitted by IITs to the Union education ministry in response to questions raised in Parliament.
Student deaths increased sharply during the five-year period. IITs reported five deaths in 2020-21, six each in 2021-22 and 2022-23, followed by 17 in 2023-24 and 19 in 2024-25. Overall, suicides accounted for nearly 85% of the reported deaths.
Of the 53 students who died, 23 were from the general category, 12 were OBC students, 10 belonged to the SC category, seven were ST students and one was from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS). Taken together, SC, ST and OBC students accounted for 29 deaths, or 54.7% of the total.
The data also showed that deaths among students from marginalised communities increased in the last two years of the period. Their combined deaths rose from three in 2022-23 to nine in 2023-24 and 10 in 2024-25.
IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi and IIT Hyderabad recorded the highest number of student deaths during the five-year period, with seven each. IIT Kanpur and IIT (BHU) Varanasi reported six deaths each, while IIT Madras recorded five.
IIT Hyderabad had the highest number of suicides, with seven, followed by IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur with six each.
The figures have renewed concerns about student wellbeing and mental health at the country’s premier engineering institutions. Academics and faculty members have pointed to several possible factors, including academic pressure, social isolation, limited interaction between students and faculty, relative grading and anxiety over future employment.
Prof V. Ramgopal Rao, vice chancellor of BITS Pilani and former director of IIT Delhi, said institutions need to focus more on prevention rather than relying mainly on counselling after a crisis.
According to official figures, 108 counsellors were available across 23 IIT campuses as of December 1, 2025. The latest data has also brought renewed attention to the need for stronger support systems and greater engagement with students across campuses.
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