IIT suicides: Govt body flags 'persistent emergency', seeks high-level campus panels

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has flagged what it described as a “persistent crisis” of suicides across IIT campuses and recommended the formation of high-level committees to examine factors contributing to such deaths.

Information Commissioner Sudha Rani Relangi observed that there is a “persistent crisis” of suicides annually across IIT campuses, with a “high concentration” at institutions such as IIT Kanpur and IIT Kharagpur.

She said there was a “dire need” for universities to constitute high-level panels, if they had not already done so, to identify and address factors leading to such incidents.

The recommendation came while the apex transparency watchdog was hearing a batch of appeals filed after IITs refused to disclose details of suicide victims at IIT Madras, IIT Jodhpur, IIT Goa and IIT Kanpur.

The Commission upheld the institutes’ stand, saying the information sought amounted to personal data of third parties and could not be disclosed under the RTI Act.

However, it also stressed that institutions must improve transparency around preventive mechanisms and mental health initiatives.

NCRB DATA RAISES CONCERN

The order gains significance in the backdrop of the recently released National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, which showed that while overall suicides in India marginally declined in 2024, student suicides continued to rise.

According to the NCRB’s “Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2024” report, student suicides rose from 13,892 in 2023 to 14,488 in 2024, marking an increase of nearly 4.3 per cent.

Students accounted for 8.5 per cent of all suicide victims in 2024, compared to 8.1 per cent in the previous year. The figures translate to nearly 40 student suicides every day, or almost one every 36 minutes.

RTI, PRIVACY AND PUBLIC INTEREST

The CIC order came on appeals filed by IIT alumnus Dheeraj Kumar Singh, who sought details such as age, gender, caste or category, academic programme, native state and location of death of students, scholars and research staff who died by suicide in IITs since 2005.

During the hearing, Singh said he runs an NGO for rehabilitation and mental counselling of students and wanted the information to analyse root causes and strengthen counselling efforts.

The IITs denied disclosure of personal details such as names, age and caste, citing privacy exemptions under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act. The Commission upheld the decision.

“It is relevant to mention here that with the introduction of Section 44 (3) of the Digital Protection and Data Privacy Act, 2023 which came into force w.e.f November 14, 2025, which establishes that Public Authority no longer requires to justify withholding personal data by weighing public interest against privacy,” the order said.

ACTIVISTS CALL FOR GREATER TRANSPARENCY

Activist Anjali Bhardwaj told PTI that the case demonstrated how the DPDP Act “severely curtails people's right to information, even when that data is vital to public interest”.

“Demographic details, particularly caste data, are essential to identifying whether suicides are disproportionately prevalent among specific marginalised communities. Withholding this information directly stifles crucial public debate on appropriate measures necessary to mitigate this crisis,” she said.

At the same time, the CIC reiterated that institutions must strengthen transparency regarding preventive mechanisms and mental health initiatives to reduce repeated RTI applications.

Transparency activist Amrita Johri termed the recommendation for constituting high-level committees and proactively disclosing related information under Section 4 of the RTI Act a “positive step”.

“Details about the existence of such committees will be most useful as it will enable students, teachers and parents to reach out for help or with suggestions on steps that can be taken to address the crisis. Transparency will facilitate open and honest engagement to prevent student suicides,” she said.

The NCRB report noted, “Each suicide is a personal tragedy that prematurely takes the life of an individual and has a continuing ripple effect, affecting the lives of families, friends and communities.”

(With PTI inputs)