‘The other side’ of IITs: Student suicides haunt India’s top tech schools

Al JazeeraEN 8 min read 100% complete by Aatif AmmadMarch 11, 2026 at 06:33 AM

AI Summary

long article 8 min

A recent article highlights the concerning number of student suicides occurring at the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). At least 160 student deaths have been recorded across the IIT system in the past two decades, with 69 of those occurring in the last five years. The article focuses on the story of Varad Nerkar, a student at IIT-Delhi who died by suicide in 2024, after expressing academic stress and pressure. Admission to an IIT is highly coveted in India, symbolizing academic excellence, with over a million students competing for spots each year. The article suggests a need to examine the pressures and support systems within these institutions.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Kharagpur 40% Maharashtra ×250% Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 50% Nashik ×360% Sanjay Nerkar ×270% IIT-Delhi ×480% Varad Nerkar ×690% India ×790% Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) ×7100%

Keywords

student suicides 100% iit 90% academic stress 70% india 60% academic pressure 50% mental health 50% engineering colleges 50% joint entrance examination 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.80

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

India

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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student suicides iit academic stress india academic pressure mental health engineering colleges joint entrance examination

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