After Bombay IIT, Madras IIT witness its third suicidal incident in a month ! Is it lack of institutional support?
Mobilenews24x7 Bureau
Does alienation in big educational institutes like IIT Bombay or Madras or anywhere else play the factor of extreme frustrations leading to students resorting to extreme steps like suicide?, on
After the incident at Bombay IIT on March 14 called Vaipu Pushpak Sreesai, a 20-year-old student of Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) claim he took the extreme step as he was unable to cope with academic pressure. Lack of an effective support system in the institute only made things worse, some sources claim seeking anonymity.
A native of Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh, Sreesai was a third year B Tech student of IIT Madras. He was found dead in his hostel room on Tuesday, 14 March. This is the second such suicide reported within a month from IIT-M campus.
On 14 February, Steven Sunny, a second-year M Sc student from Maharashtra, was found dead in his room. Months earlier, in September 2022, Subhranashu Shekar Dehuri, another 21-year-old student, allegedly died by suicide in Tapti hostel of IIT-M.
The cases indicate a serious problem plaguing the institute, students of IIT-M say.
Police officials from Kotturpuram police station where a case of unnatural death has been registered, told Hindustan Times that Sreesai had arrears which he couldn’t clear.
“He (Sai) had not attended classes for a week. He has three roommates who tried speaking to him but he wasn’t responding properly to him. On Tuesday, around 9 am they met him downstairs outside of the hostel. They thought that he would come to class but he hadn’t. We don’t know at what time he died by suicide but when his roommates went back they found the room locked and they informed authorities,” they added.
The IIT-Madras expressed its condolences for Sai’s demise and in its statement on Tuesday, 14 March, said that an internal inquiry committee, including elected student representatives, has been constituted to look into such incidents.
