Mumbai, Feb 05: As the death of a 21-year-old student, Naman Agarwal, who died by suicide on Wednesday, brought the discussion on mental health back into focus, several students expressed concerns about the facilities available on the campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay.
Students question effectiveness of counselling
A student said they do reach out for help through the mental health helpline, but it has not been much assistance. “There have been instances when we reached out to the wellness centres in our most vulnerable moments and expressed our feelings, but the counsellors only redirected our thoughts to the meritocracy of the institute. I told them that I couldn’t work and that my productivity was lagging because of stress, and the counsellor told me that I should work even harder because many students want to reach this position and there is no place for procrastination,” said a PhD student.
“The counsellors tick all the boxes of qualifications, but they fail to address our individual problems. This has been a notion on the campus. In 2021, a survey of all the mental health channels was conducted, but the results were accessible only to the administration and were never made public. Since then, the word has spread that all the helplines are dicey and won’t assist as much,” said another student.
Students are generally quite stressed about living up to the standards of the institution, and when they come here, there are a lot of hopes and aspirations.
Existing support systems
Over the years, IIT Bombay has established several channels of communication and support for students. The institution currently has a Student Wellness Centre (SWC), a 24x7 online counselling platform and a mental health helpline.
Rising suicide numbers across IITs
According to data maintained by the Global IIT Alumni Support Group, at least 65 students died by suicide across the Indian Institutes of Technology between January 2021 and December 2025. Of these, 30 deaths were recorded in just the last two years across the 23 IIT institutions.
Experts call for systemic changes
Bhalchandra Mungekar, former Vice-Chancellor of Mumbai University, who supported the case of Darshan Solanki, who also died by suicide in 2023, said: “The fact that students are facing so much work pressure needs to be addressed systemically through the curriculum. It is the institution’s responsibility to look after the mental health of students as well. All higher education institutes should set up counselling centres with proper counsellors. In addition, institutions should also conduct aptitude tests, so that it can be assessed whether a student really wants to pursue education at the concerned institute or is applying under societal pressure.”
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“This is the only lasting solution to arrest this tendency. Recently, there was a suicide at BITS Pilani, where the efforts made by the institution came too late. Every student must be given a sense of confidence well in time,” Mungekar added.
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If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues or experiencing thoughts of self-harm, help is available. | Contact the AASRA Helpline at 91-9820466726 or the Kiran (Mental Health Rehabilitation) helpline at 1800-599-0019 for immediate assistance. |
