...surpassing farmer suicides (11,000) in number. There is a 4 per cent annual increase in student suicides, double the national suicide rate (2 per cent).
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has cancelled the affiliation of Neerja Modi School in Jaipur due to gross violations of student safety norms following the death of a 9-year-old girl. The board cited a failure of counselling and redressal mechanisms and ordered the school to cease new admissions.
In just the two months of 2025, six cases of student suicides took place in Kota.
Deepshikha, the woman who saw the school student last time, before he headed to the Rajendra Place Metro Station in New Delhi and allegedly died by suicide, said that he looked disturbed and told her that the teachers 'tortured' him.
The bench said, given the pressing nature of the crisis, particularly in cities like Kota, Jaipur, Sikar, Vishakhapatnam, Hyderabad, and Delhi, where students migrate in large numbers, immediate interim safeguards are the call of the day.
Mental health experts and counsellors highlight how to identify early signs of distress in children and what parents and peers can do to prevent someone from taking their life.
The Supreme Court of India has formed a National Task Force (NTF) to address the growing concern of student suicides in higher educational institutions. The court took note of the recurring cases and directed Delhi Police to register FIRs on the complaints of families of two students who died by suicide at IIT Delhi in 2023. The NTF, chaired by former apex court judge Justice S Ravindra Bhat, will prepare a comprehensive report, including the identification of causes leading to suicides, analysis of existing regulations, and recommendations for strengthening protections. The NTF will also have the authority to conduct surprise inspections of higher educational institutions and make further recommendations to ensure a holistic approach to addressing mental health concerns and eliminating suicides.
Nearly 70 per cent of total student suicides were committed by school-going students, with students from Class 9 and 10 accounting for the highest share.
The panel was constituted after a 20-year-old Nepalese student of the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha's Bhubaneswar was found hanging from the ceiling fan of her hostel room.
What is pushing students to take this extreme step?
According to the report, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh are identified as the states with the highest number of student suicides, together accounting for one-third of the national total.
The share of suicides was highest among daily wage earners, followed by housewives, unemployed and students.
Four Indian medical students injured in a stabbing attack at a Russian university are reported to be stable and recovering well. The attacker, a 15-year-old, is also hospitalized.
The Kota district administration in Rajasthan has reported a 50% decline in student suicides this year compared to 2023, attributing the decrease to stricter guidelines for coaching institutes and hostels, mental health initiatives, and outreach programs. Despite the positive development, coaching businesses in Kota have experienced a slowdown due to negative publicity and stricter regulations. The district administration has launched a program called 'Kota Cares' to reaffirm its commitment to student well-being and safety.
The founder of KIIT, Achyuta Samanta, and other top officials of the private engineering college were questioned by a government committee about the alleged suicide of a Nepalese girl in her hostel and the assault on students of her country. The incident sparked outrage in the Odisha Assembly, with opposition members demanding a judicial inquiry. Samanta was questioned for two hours, along with the institute's Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, Dean, and two suspended women officials. The committee is investigating the circumstances surrounding the student's suicide, the alleged high-handedness of the institute's administration, and the decision to suspend specific students and shut down the institute for them. The Odisha government has assured Nepalese students that it will cover their travel expenses, arrange remedial classes, and reschedule their mid-semester examinations if necessary.
The father of a nine-year-old girl who allegedly committed suicide at her school in Jaipur is demanding that the principal and some teachers be charged with abetment of suicide. This follows the CBSE's decision to cancel the school's affiliation due to safety violations.
The Supreme Court has directed all states and Union Territories to report on the implementation of guidelines for addressing mental health issues and suicide among students in educational institutions. The Centre has also been asked to file a compliance affidavit.
The Supreme Court of India has directed its registry to call for a report from IIT Kharagpur and Kota, Rajasthan, after the suicides of a student and a NEET aspirant came to light. The court is seeking to ascertain whether FIRs were registered in both cases, highlighting the disturbing pattern of student suicides in educational institutions. The court has also previously ordered the formation of a national task force to address mental health concerns and prevent suicides in higher educational institutions.
The family of a NEET aspirant in Bihar, whose death after alleged sexual assault is being probed by the CBI, has claimed they received a threat that their son would meet the same fate as their deceased daughter.
'What has changed is that the new regulations are backed by a clear enforcement framework. They have real consequences and, for the first time, make compliance unavoidable.'
Experts warn of the dangers of online gaming addiction among adolescents, citing limited social interaction, blurred realities and the potential for tragic outcomes. Recent incidents highlight the need for awareness and intervention.
A 19-year-old student in Thane, Maharashtra, allegedly committed suicide after being assaulted on a train for not speaking Marathi. Police are investigating the incident.
'Recently a girl who was suicidal was brought to me.' 'When I asked her what was bothering her, she said she and her friend took photos at the same place and posted them on Instagram.' 'While her friend got 23 likes, she didn't get a single like.' 'She said, "nobody likes me, nobody wants me in this world. I am rejected by everybody".' 'And she wanted to end her life.'
"She was a brilliant student and had completed her MBBS in Kyrgyzstan between 2005 and 2010. Her academic record was excellent, and she had big dreams for her future," Lakshmi told PTI.
The reason for the deaths is yet to be ascertained and no suicide note has been recovered from the room, police officials said.
Rocked by a spate of student suicides, the city police has set up a dedicated "Student Cell" to reach out to students and make attempts to detect early signs of stress and depression.
The protesting students claimed that the deceased was suffering from health issues and was disturbed mentally after he was marked for failed attendance.
The new UGC regulations mandating all higher education institutions to form "equity committees" to look into discrimination complaints and promote equity were notified on January 13.
The Supreme Court has expressed concerns over student suicides at IIT Kharagpur and Sharda University, directing expedited investigations into the incidents. The court questioned the institutions' handling of mental health issues and compliance with previous directives.
The nine-page guidelines have been issued days after the state government set up a 15-member committee headed by education secretary Bhawani Singh Detha to examine the issue after record student suicides were reported from coaching hub Kota.
The Special Cell of the Delhi Police has uncovered a fresh lead in the Red Fort car blast investigation, linking it to fugitive Indian Mujahideen operative Mirza Shadab Baig, an ex-student of Al-Falah University.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached the land and building of Haryana-based Al Falah University, worth about Rs 140 crore, that came under the radar of the security agencies following the November 10 Red Fort area blast, and filed a charge sheet against Al Falah Group chairman Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui and his charitable trust.
A researcher at IIT-Kharagpur was found dead in his hostel room, marking the fifth suspected suicide at the institute this year. The incident has prompted the institute to take measures to address student stress.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against the chairman of Al Falah University, alleging money laundering and the appointment of individuals with terror links without proper verification.
The Supreme Court of India has reprimanded the Rajasthan government over the alarming rise in student suicides in Kota. The court expressed its deep concern over the situation, questioning the state's efforts to address the crisis. The court also ordered an FIR to be filed in the case of a 22-year-old IIT Kharagpur student who died by suicide in his hostel room, citing a delay in reporting the incident to the police.
The accused, identified as Arman Khatri, and Solanki stayed on the same floor of a hostel of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and both were batchmates, he said.
A school in Kerala, India, suspended a teacher and headmistress after students protested the suicide of a 9th-grade student. The student reportedly took his own life after being questioned by his mother about social media messages and reprimanded by a teacher.
A National Crime Records Bureau report indicates a slight increase in suicides in India during 2023, with family problems and illness cited as major contributing factors. Maharashtra reported the highest number of suicides, followed by Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.
A 19-year-old engineering student allegedly died by suicide in Hyderabad, following a financial dispute with friends over sharing the cost of a party bill, police said on Monday.
According to Kota police and district administration records, at least 14 students studying in coaching centres in the city committed suicide this year.
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