Student Suicides On A All-Time Rise, Warns NCRB Data

According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau data, India recorded a new high of 12,526 suicides by students. The percentage has sharply risen by 21.19 per cent since 2019.

The data collected since 1995 reveals that more than 1.8 lakh students have committed suicide, of which 2020 has recorded the highest number.

The problem of student suicides has been a serious one. With cases increasing every year, finding reasons for it is becoming crucial.

What Are Experts Saying?

Out of the 12,526 suicides, nearly 53 per cent (6,598) were from Maharashtra, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and Karnataka. The trends show that between 1995 and 1999, student suicides accounted for 5.2 per cent of the total suicides, and this percentage increased to 8.2 per cent in 2020.

A study reveals that India's large proportion of suicides occurs between the ages of 15 to 29 years. Failure in exams, parental expectations, substance abuse, unemployment, and poverty are common reasons for these suicides. Covid -19 had further worsened the situation. Psychologists have pointed out the issue of mental health due to Covid lockdown, staying indoors, and emotional isolation is considered potential reasons.

Roshni, an NGO helping people with suicidal thoughts, told the Hindu that the number of calls they received saw a big jump in the lockdown time. They received maximum calls from people within the age group of 20 to 45.

Past Student Suicides

Over the last seven years, a total of 122 students have committed suicide. Roughly half of them belonged to the marginalised castes or tribes. Out of the 24 were SC and ST, 41 were OBC's. Many of these students were from IITs and IIMs, Hindustan Times reported.

Another such incident happened in Tamil Nadu in 2021. A day after a 19-year-old boy committed suicide before the National Eligibility Entrance Test( NEET), an 18-year-old aspirant also did the same. The police said that the girl was fearful of not clearing the entrance test. In a statement, MK Stalin, Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister told that their government would not compromise in any manner in the legal struggle for scrapping NEET, Hindustan Times reported.

In a recent incident, an IIT Bombay post-graduate student committed suicide by jumping off from the hostel building. As of now, depression is seen as the primary reason for suicide, Times Now reported.

Also Read: That Was Bad Touch & He Should Be Punished': Accused Receives Imprisonment Following 9-Yr-Old's Statement In Court