Exam failure, isolation: Stories of 8 IIT Delhi students who died by suicide

Having failed some classes in his second and third years, Anil, who joined the premier institute in 2019 to pursue a BTech in Mathematics and Computing, did not have enough credits to graduate with his batchmates, IIT officials had said. Anil, who belonged to the SC community, had been given an extension by the college.

He was from Banda in Uttar Pradesh.

When The Indian Express spoke to Anil’s mother, Viday Devi, after his death, she had said she didn’t sense anything amiss during their last conversation on August 29.

“As always, I asked him, ‘Lalla, did you eat on time? And how long before you get your degree?’ He told me that it was his last year in college. I was happy to learn that he would start earning soon. We tried calling him the next day, but he never answered.”

Ayush Ashna: A 20-year-old final-year B.Tech student, he was found hanging inside the Udaigiri hostel by his family and other students in July 2023.

Ashna was from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh.

A relative had said at the time, “We think he was upset because his exam results had come, and he didn’t do well in one-two papers. He refused to talk to anyone. We got scared and came to Delhi yesterday. We found that his hostel room was locked and there was no response when we knocked on the door.”

Pranav Jain: A fourth-year B.Tech student, he was found hanging at his East Delhi home by his family on November 2, 2023. He was 23.

His parents had told police at that time that Jain was suffering from depression and had been stressed for months.

Varad Sanjay Nerkar: The 23-year-old was a final-year MTech student, pursuing Polymer Science. He was found dead in his room at the Dronagiri Hostel on campus on February 15, 2024. He hailed from Maharashtra’s Nashik.

At the time, an official from IIT Delhi said on the condition of anonymity: “He was a high-performing student and had scored a high CGPA. He had also secured a placement…”

After his death, IIT-Delhi had postponed the mid-semester exams as students demanded an independent inquiry.

Kumar Yash: A second-year MSc student, he was found dead in his hostel room on October 22, 2024 by a friend.

He had undergone psychiatric treatment at the campus hospital earlier in the day, the Delhi Police had said. He hailed from Deogarh area in Jharkhand.

Ayush Singhal: He was 25 and was pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering at IIT-Delhi. He was found dead inside his room on campus on June 4, 2025.

Singhal had pursued a Bachelor’s in Dental Surgery (BDS) from National Dental College, Dera Bassi, before he went for further studies at IIT Ropar. He had begun his doctoral studies at IIT-Delhi in January 2024.

Harshit Swami: A first-year BTech Civil Engineering student, Harshit was found hanging inside a campus apartment on March 12, 2026.

He lived at New Vindhyachal Apartment with his mother. She was at her hometown when the incident took place.

Earlier panel flagged academic pressure, discrimination

In 2025, The Indian Express had reported that a committee set up by IIT Delhi in 2024 to “study the institutional processes and environment” in the context of student suicides flagged key triggers: post-coaching burnout, a grading system that reinforces “toxic competitiveness”, relentless academic demands and a culture marked by caste and gender-based discrimination.

It was also learnt that the report was submitted by the committee in August last year but there was no response after that. The institute had said, “The report will be tabled before the Institute’s Board of Governors, along with the measures to implement its recommendations.”

Now, following Rishikesh’s death, another committee has been set up to investigate the reasons that pushed him over the edge.

The administration has announced an External Inquiry Committee, financial assistance through its benevolent fund, and the creation of a separate fund through voluntary contributions from students, faculty and staff.

The five-member inquiry panel comprises Ashok Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of the Sports University of Haryana who is an IIT-D alumnus and a former police chief of Uttarakhand, Pratap Sharma, head of the Department of Psychiatry at AIIMS, New Delhi, two student representatives, and the IIT-D Registrar who is also the secretary and convener of the committee.

But IIT Delhi still hasn’t agreed to the demands for resignations and a specific compensation. The Delhi Police has registered an FIR for abetment of suicide and launched an investigation.