’No One Slept That Night’: Student Suicide in IIT-Guwahati Sparks Huge Protests

A third-year BTech student allegedly died by suicide in IIT-Guwahati — the second case in a span of a month.

(Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide. Reader discretion advised)

"The best of students study at IITs, but most number of suicides happen here. There is extreme academic pressure, and mental stress...Our lives are taken for granted...Why? We need answers. We can't lose more lives," said a second-year BTech student at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G) on the condition of anonymity.

On Monday, 9 September, a third-year BTech student at IIT-G was found dead inside his hostel room, in an alleged case of suicide – the second such incident in the campus within a span of a month.

According to police officials, 21-year-old Bimlesh Kumar, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district, was pursuing his Computer Science and Engineering programme.

While the IIT-G administration issued a statement, saying that it was "working closely with the police to investigate the circumstances surrounding this tragic event," officials confirmed to The Quint that a case of unnatural death has been registered.

This has led to massive protests with students protesting outside the administrative building in IIT-G's campus, alleging academic pressure as the cause of their fellow student's death. Subsequently, IIT-G’s Dean of Academic Affairs KV Krishna resigned on Wednesday, 11 September.

These protests were withdrawn on Wednesday evening.

'He Was Failed Due to Poor Attendance,' Claim Students

A third-year BTech student, who did not wish to be named, said the incident took place at the Brahmaputra hostel inside the campus.

"I stay in the floor below his (Bimlesh’s) room. When I heard the news, I was in absolute shock. I felt chills in my bones. We were immediately shooed away from the place and were asked to get back to our rooms... how can we sleep knowing that our fellow student had died by suicide? No one slept that night..."

Third-year BTech student

Speaking to The Quint on the condition of anonymity, student protestors claimed that the 21-year-old was allegedly driven to death as he failed in a course due to poor attendance.

"He was among the 40+ students who were failed in a course last year and due to their inability to meet the attendance requirement. Because of this he had a backlog, and was restricted from summer internships," another student claimed.

The protesters alleged that though Kumar had submitted the required medical certificates, it was not considered.

The Quint has reached out to IIT-Guwahati Director Devendra Jalihal for a response on these allegations. This story will be updated when we receive his response.

Meanwhile, Ranjan Bhuyan, Kamrup district's Superintendent of police (SP), told The Quint that investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of death.

"It is too early to share any details about the death because we are investigating the matter. We've registered a case of unnatural death, but prima facie it looks like a case of suicide. We can only confirm this after the post-mortem report comes," Bhuyan said.

In a statement released on 9 September, the institute said:

"IIT-Guwahati is deeply saddened to report the loss of a student of our community. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the student's family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time. The well-being of our students is our top priority. We are committed to providing support and resources to help our students navigate the challenges they may face."

IIT Guwahati in a statement

Third Case in 2024, Students Allege 'Lack of Empathy' 

Kumar's death is the third such incident in IIT-Guwahati in 2024 alone. On 9 August, a 23-year-old MTech student from Uttar Pradesh was found dead in her hostel room. In April, a 20-year-old BTech student from Bihar was also found dead in his hostel room.

"When the last suicide case happened, the administration buried the incident and did not take any responsibility. We didn't even know about it until later. We were scared already, but we didn't speak about it then," the third-year student quoted above said.

Multiple students that The Quint spoke to alleged that there was a "lack of empathy" shown by professors.

"Studying in IIT is not easy. It's a very hectic and strenuous course. There's already so much academic-related stress. Professors don't really pay heed to our issues. They are not empathetic at all. Even if we reach out to them saying we are unable to meet a deadline due to specific reasons, they don't care."

A third-year BTech student

At least five students said that the current attendance policy, which mandates at least 75% attendance to appear for the final examinations, was concerning.

Failure to meet this requirement results in the student being awarded an FA (fail due to attendance) grade, forcing them to repeat the course with junior students in the following year. This allegedly happened in Kumar's case too.

"This is a very strict and unfair rule. There are multiple reasons why we don't attend classes. I prefer to study in my room sometimes because I don't like the teaching style of a few professors. I know many of my friends who often have legitimate medical or personal reasons which affect their ability to attend classes."

Fourth-year BTech Computer Science Student

While the institute allows students to submit medical certificates to account for these absences, students alleged "professors and institute hospital doctors have occasionally been reported to be careless in assisting students with the documentation process."

The Quint reached out to (now former) Dean of Academic Affairs KV Krishna on these allegations. We will update the story if/when we receive a response.

A fourth-year BTech student from Mathematics and Computing Department alleged that there was no "flexibility" for students.

"They institution gives the harshest punishments for the smallest of things. The suicide has impacted all of us in ways we cannot imagine. This case was a tipping point for all of us to come out and speak up," he said.

Students also flagged the lack of mental health support in the institution.

"They (administration) don't care about our mental health. There are only three counsellors, and one psychiatrist to address issues of the entire campus which has a strength of about 7,000 students," another student said.

'Need For Change': Students List Out Demands in Open House, IIT-G Responds

Over the last two days, nearly 3,000 students from IIT-G staged protests and put forth a series on short-term and long-term demands that have to be met by the college.

"Though this might seem like an opportunity to take a stab at the admin, we assure you that all of the following proposals are incorporated into this agenda only after thorough consideration and discussion with all students. These issues are aimed at tackling the academic stress and burden of the students while also addressing the welfare of the entire community.”

IIT-Guwahati Student Body's statement

Subsequently, on 11 September, KV Krishna resigned from his post as the Dean of Academic Affairs. In a statement, IIT-G said, "...we are discussing this internally. A decision will be taken soon."

Apart from asking Krishna to quit, the students demanded the resignation of an assistant professor accused of misusing his authority and misbehaving with the students. The Quint has also reached out to the said professor.

In addition, students have listed out several demands:

• Relaxation of attendance policies

• Reforms in the mid-semester and end-semester schedules

• Restricting academic activities (quizzes and tests) on weekends

• Reintroducing mid-semester break

• Right to speech for students and a Transparent Complaint Redressal

Acknowledging the “deep distress caused by the recent unfortunate” death of a student on the campus, the IIT-G authorities said they understand the concerns of the students.

“The well-being of everyone remains our top priority, and we are fully committed to fostering a safe and supportive environment for all. The institute is taking the issues raised by the students seriously...As a new Director who has taken charge recently, he (Devendra Jalihal) is committed to resolve these issues and ensure overall student well-being on this campus.”

IIT-Guwahati's latest statement

The institute also outlined several measures it would undertake to address the students’ concerns. These include expanding the “well-being services” involving specialised counsellors for crisis intervention, long-term assistance, establishing peer support networks, and reviewing the safety protocols.

Speaking to The Quint, students said that it was "time for a change" and they will hold peaceful protests until all their demands are met.

"The institution needs to understand that this is an extremely serious issue. We cannot let it go buried again. We cannot lose more fellow students due to suicide. We want our professors to be sensitised. We need them to be more empathetic towards our problems. We need them to be more student-friendly. It's time for change," a third-year student concluded.