Cloud cover over pedagogy and academic culture in IITs
The article highlights a concerning trend of student suicides at IIT campuses, noting 13 deaths in 2026 alone. It questions the impact of intense academic pressure and potential structural casteism on student mental health.
Why it matters
It raises critical questions about the institutional culture and support systems within India's premier technical education institutes.
On September 18, Sahil Wakode, a B.Tech student at IIT-Bombay (IIT-B), was found dead on the campus. This was the third suicide or unnatural death at IIT-B this year. Deaths have also happened on the campuses of IIT-Delhi, IIT-Kharagpur, IIT-Guwahati, among others. In the last five years, there have been at least 53 suicides/unnatural deaths at the IITs. Between January 1 and September 18, 2026, 13 student suicides or unnatural deaths have been recorded on different IIT campuses, according to the Global IIT Alumni Support Group’s dataset. This amounts to roughly on average, a student death on an IIT campus every five weeks.
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