Meanwhile, premier institutes turn death traps - HANS

Meanwhile, premier institutes turn death traps… 

Dr Manogna Naresh 

Hans News Service | 

4 Nov 2019 5:47 AM IST HIGHLIGHTS 

Siddharth Pichikala was an introvert, yet a bright student of IIT, Hyderabad. Hailing from a well-to-do and reasonably educated family, Siddharth was not like others of his age. 

Siddharth Pichikala was an introvert, yet a bright student of IIT, Hyderabad. Hailing from a well-to-do and reasonably educated family, Siddharth was not like others of his age. He was confused, frazzled by academic pressure and unable to cope up with the sheer pressure his pedagogues and peers mounted on him. 

In the wee hours of October 29, Siddharth wrote a message to his friend informing that he was ending his life and jumped from the hostel building, only to be found in a pool of blood, lifeless and raising many questions. 

Ironically, it was the third suicide at IIT Hyderabad within a short span of nine months! Several suicides have been reported from prestigious educational institutions from across the country, of late. According to latest available data from National Crime Records Bureau, a student commits suicide every one hour in India, it being the second most populous country of over one billion population. 

It has the highest suicides rates among those aged 15-29 and account for over third of global suicides among women each year. Academic stress is a major reason for growing suicide tendencies among the youngsters in India, the pressure continues beyond the college. Stories of successful students securing high salaried jobs make the headlines and play a significant role in parents pushing their children to earn the same. So, they land up in coaching factories, where they cram for exams to get into elite institutes like IITs. 

Students are made to follow draconian rules and study schedules that leave them depleted and depressed. Once they crack the entrance, they feel that the journey is over, but actually the journey begins from there. That is what they do not understand at that time, they tend to enter into new world of dreams in which they may be prepared intellectually but not prepared psychologically. 

Many toppers of the schools and colleges tend to feel they are worthless and less competent because all the toppers flock there and you become one among them which leads to identity crises leading to anxiety. 

All the children, who get admission in IIT are good, maybe best in their school or towns but when they land at IIT, they realise that the remaining are better than them. They have to compete with the best in the country and often some of them lose their way. They feel disheartened and dejected. 

Every parent wants his or her child to be a topper in their class and expecting further, the child should get admission in IIT and likewise. When one enters the IIT, there is not only expectation from the parents that the student will perform better, but the student himself has a higher self-expectation being a part of the IIT. 

In India, all parents feel if their children are brighter academically in comparison with the peers, then they have only two options - either engineer or doctor - but their aptitude and interest do not match and there arises a crises leading to depression. For them life seems to be miserable and uninteresting. 

Every student who committed suicide at such a renowned institute dealt with severe pressures of various kinds, which are interlinked. Not getting a proper recruitment, examination stress and depression are some of the major factors. 

So, who should be blamed for these suicides, improper educational system, terrible stress on students in such reputed colleges or the students who desire for higher studies in such institutes and with high expectation? 

Coming to the campus issues related with suicides in IITs, a large percentage of children come from small towns. Even though they are good at their subjects, they are not well versed with English. All subjects at IIT are taught only in English. They often find it difficult to follow the lectures. Though IITs, realising the problem, have special course in English for these kids, still many children lose their confidence and become recluses. Such kids also find it difficult to handle computers as it was not accessible to them in school or at home and take time to get on par with students from big cities. This also causes inferiority complex in them. This leads to isolation from others when the communication is the problem to maintain the relationship with them. 

In IITs, students are so obsessed with studies that they have little time for each other. Living cocooned lives on the campus fails to establish human touch. Friendships are not deep as the undercurrent of competition is always there, which do not give scope for having belongingness leading to loneliness and self-humiliation which throws one into the depression. 

Lack of compassion among them on the campus also makes them vulnerable to risky behaviors. When a child is in trouble, he doesn't know whom to go for advice. 

Children facing depression hardly ever seek help directly. Counselling centres are there, but troubled children never go there. Even management and lectures should make them aware that visiting a counsellor for mental health issue is just like visiting a physician for cold and cough. 

The social stigma for seeking mental healthcare still prevails in the flourishing IITs. The whole scenario would lead to students getting attracted to drug abuse or committing the suicides. So, when we explore and understand the probable reasons behind the suicidal tendencies among students of premier institutions, we could help them overcome that phase of delinquency and self-denial. 

In order to catch hold of the present situation, one should understand everyone - parents, institutions and the students. Mental health issues such as anxiety and depression need to be addressed without stigma in schools and colleges by inculcating the spirit to speak out the problem and encouraging one to seek out professional help when crisis arise. 

Parents should be educated to imbibe and foster feelings of sensitivity towards their children, and to identify their interests and abilities before of chalking out career plans. 

Glorifying IITs and NITs as the only quality institutes by the media should be stopped. 

They should turn the arc lights to other unsung institutes; ease the stress on IITians, which helps the parents to tame their expectations. 

Change in the mindset of society is necessary to stop overhyping of IITs and attaching weight of expectations to the young minds. India is already known to produce labour that does not meet international standards because of the broken higher education system. The lack of job availability and failure to create skills among the youth will simple increase the frustration among students, forcing them to take the drastic step of ending their lives. 

Hence, it is time of red alert to modify the system. 

Proper guidance system needs to be established and mentor mechanism should be developed. If any student gets deviated from the regular course of behavior, he or she should be encouraged to seek professional help and as a prevention strategy they should be self-equipped with positivity, wellbeing, good self-esteem and mental relaxation. Every life is important, it should not be lost because of the guilt of failure.

(The author is a Hyderabad-based psychologist. Views expressed are personal)

https://www.thehansindia.com/hans/opinion/news-analysis/meanwhile-premier-institutes-turn-death-traps-578196

IIT-IIM alumnus engineer commits suicide in Noida, wife booked for abetment I Hindustan Times

IIT-IIM alumnus engineer commits suicide in Noida, wife booked for abetment

Even though no suicide note was recovered from the spot, the family suspects that his ongoing marital discord and financial trouble pushed him to suicide.

NOIDA Updated: Nov 06, 2019 10:02 IST

HT Correspondent

Hindustan Times, NoidaThe family of the dead man blames his wife for him ending his suicide. (Representational Image)


The family of a 39-year-old software engineer, who allegedly took his life on Monday morning by jumping from the balcony of his 10th floor apartment in Sector 128, has filed a case of abetment to suicide against his wife and in-laws.

Even though no suicide note was recovered from the spot, the family suspects that his ongoing marital discord and financial trouble pushed him to suicide.

The family said they first got a call around 10am from a security guard of the society who said the man, an alumnus of IIT-Kanpur and IIM-Ahmedabad, had “burnt down his house and was admitted to a private hospital nearby”.

“When we reached the society, we found that he had jumped from his balcony and was dead,” the father, a resident of Delhi, said in his police complaint.

The family blames his wife for him ending his life. The couple had got married in 2014. According to family members, she was posted in a PSU in Haridwar at that time and he was working with a private firm in Gurugram.

“After a while, they both got transfers to Noida and moved to Sector 45. Soon afterwards, they started facing problems and my son ended up losing his job. He started his own venture but that also failed to take off. He was being constantly pressured by her family and one day, he told me that his father-in-law and two brothers-in-law had assaulted him and threatened to harm him. He had moved to the Sector 128 house after he filed for separation,” said the father in his complaint.

The wife had also filed a case against him, accusing him of subjecting her to cruelty, almost two years ago, when they separated. “He was under a lot of pressure and told us that her family was asking for Rs 50 lakh and a flat to withdraw that case. We are convinced that it was the physical and mental harassment that led my son to take this step,” he said.

Based on the father’s complaint, a case was registered at the Expressway police station under IPC Section 306 against the wife, her parents and two brothers.

Police said the wife is working now in Noida. “So far, the family has not been able to provide her exact address. We are working on this. A probe in the matter is underway. Due legal action will be taken soon,” Bhuvnesh Kumar, station house officer, Expressway police station, said.

The body was handed over to the family following an autopsy.

An app that offers a patient ear to relieve mental stress - The Hindu

An app that offers a patient ear to relieve mental stress

Jyoti Shelar
MUMBAI, OCTOBER 31, 2019 04:48 IST



Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto


Moodcafe provides individuals grappling with anxiety, loneliness and suicidal thoughts with trained listeners whom they can confide in

A 44-year-old management consultant from Hosur in Tamil Nadu attends back-to-back meetings through the week, helping firms cut costs, improve services and better their performance. In spite of his busy schedule, he finds time on the weekends to serve as an ‘anonymous listener’.

A mobile chat with him comes as a much-needed relief for individuals grappling with anxiety, sadness, loneliness and suicidal thoughts. “The moment you confide in someone, half of the burden is reduced. Having access to a patient ear is crucial when one is dealing with mental stress,” said the consultant, who is one of the 200 trained listeners volunteering with Moodcafe, a mental health startup.

Started in October 2018 by Mikul Patel (25) and Rahul Mirdha (23), alumni of IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Roorkee respectively, Moodcafe enables people to chat with trained listeners. The listeners provide active, empathetic and non-judgemental listening. Based on the severity of the conversation, the listeners suggest mental health counselling or intervention through a suicide helpline.

The founders of Moodcafe said the app has saved nine lives in the past six months. Mr. Patel said, “The listeners go through a screening test, which covers various aspects of communication and confidentiality. Over 800 people took the test, but only 200 cleared it and were able to participate in the online training module to become a listener.” Mr. Patel said the app now has over 10,000 users.
Spreading positivity

A 34-year-old counselling psychologist from Shimla, who has been a listener with Moodcafe for the past two months, said, “By simply chatting, we may not be able to change a person’s mental health status. But it definitely helps in stopping them from spiralling downwards into negativity. I have noticed so many users starting off the conversation in distress and ending it positively.”

The psychologist dedicates two to three hours every day to handle 10 to 15 chat requests. She said, “A chat may last just for a few minutes or extend even to a few days. It is the user’s call to end it.” She said one of the main concerns of users is whether their confidentiality would be maintained. Also, at times, some users download the app mistaking it to be a dating or a companionship platform, but the listeners explain the concept to them and end the chat.

A 39-year-old homemaker from Thane has a fixed time slot — 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. — to listen in every day. “Loneliness and depression are the most common complaints,” she said. In the past 11 months as a listener, she has managed to save one life. “An IIT student who was on the verge of ending his life started a chat with me. He wanted to pursue arts, but his parents pushed him into IIT because he was a bright student,” she said. The chat went on for an entire day and she managed to calm him down and convinced him to dial the helpline. “I could not sleep that night. I kept chatting with him for two days, but he assured me that he had sought help,” she said.

The listeners describe their contribution as an enriching experience. The management consultant from Hosur said, “At the end of the day, I feel happy to have helped someone. It boosts my self-esteem too.”

‘60% of our callers are students’: Director of suicide prevention helpline

Photo for representational purpose only (Source: Shutterstock)

Pritha Roy Choudhury | Oct 31, 2019 - 5 p.m. IST


On Tuesday, October 29, a student of Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, died, allegedly by suicide.

A third-year student of computer science and engineering, Pichikala Siddharth, became the third IIT Hyderabad student to die by suicide this year. He left a note in which he wrote about his studies not going well enough.

Johnson Thomas, director of Mumbai-based non-profit Aasra which runs a suicide prevention helpline, has heard it all before. Manned by trained volunteers, the Aasra helpline receives around 200 calls in a day and around 60 percent of all calls come from students. They include students studying engineering, medicine and even postgraduate ones.

Johnson Thomas, director, Aasra (Source: Johnson Thomas)

Aasra was founded in 1997 and launched its intervention programmes in 1998. “In 1997, there was a lot of student suicides reported. We thought there needs to be some intervention. A group of people got together and started the organisation and it’s been 22 years now,” he said. The non-profit conducts workshops in schools, colleges and also for young employees.

Thomas spoke to Careers360. Edited excerpts below.

How many of those seeking help from you are students?

Our intervention is across India. I cannot give you a specific number but all kinds of students call us. About 60 percent of the calls are from students.

If you look at the records of first-year students in any engineering or medical college, you will find more failures in the first year of their studies. Then their work keeps piling up. So when they come to the second year, it becomes difficult to handle.

Most of our callers are students who are facing problems with their studies. We not only have undergraduates from the IITs approaching us but also postgraduate students. Also, a lot of students who are preparing for the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) and various UPSC [or, Union Public Service Commission] exams approach us.

What’s troubling them?

It’s all very easy when they are young and under the control of their parents, following their diktat. Plus, they all go to coaching classes to prepare [for the entrance tests] for IITs. When they enter IITs, they get all the freedom they want.

That freedom itself is catastrophic for them because they don't know how to deal with themselves as they have never been on their own. They have always been following directions. Suddenly when people get the freedom they tend to get involved in other things and neglect their studies. That is when they start losing focus on the academic ambitions they had. When that happens, it is a big burden on them and they are not able to handle either the peer pressure or the parental pressure.

Even parents call up. There are distressed parents who are themselves contemplating suicide because their children are not performing up to expectation, and parents who fear their children might harm themselves.

What do you tell students who call you? Do you give them solutions or follow-up with counselling?

We don't give any solution. We just give them an opportunity to let go off all the negative emotions. Towards the end we give them an opportunity to look at other options.

Once they speak to us on the helpline, they do better. They do learn how to approach the problem positively.

The best thing for anyone to understand about life is that we are gifted with that and we need to live. Whatever difficulty you face, it is possible to overcome with help. There is no shame in seeking help.

Who are the volunteers? Are they trained?

We have internal training for volunteers who want to join us. It is a one-year training program.

Their age varies. We have teenagers and also 65 year olds who take the training program and then work for us.

For help, AASRA has a list of resources here: http://www.aasra.info/helpline.html

Write to us at news@careers360.com

IIT-Hyderabad students blame isolated campus and academic pressure for suicides - The Print

IIT-Hyderabad students blame isolated campus and academic pressure for suicides

This year, 3 students have killed themselves, the latest being the death of the 20-year-old Pichikala Siddharth, who jumped off a building Tuesday.

KRITIKA SHARMA 30 October, 2019 7:56 pm IST

A file photo of IIT Hyderabad | iith.ac.in

New Delhi: Isolated living spaces, lack of common hangout zones combined with academic pressure appear to be the deadly cocktail contributing to the student suicides at the IIT-Hyderabad campus this year.

Since the beginning of 2019, three students have killed themselves, the latest being the death of the 20-year-old undergraduate student Pichikala Siddharth, who jumped off a building Tuesday.

Students at the institute told ThePrint that they recently shifted to a new campus that lacks common hangout zones and entertainment facilities. Even the accommodation that has been provided to them on campus makes them isolated, they said.

The new campus is at Kandi, nearly two hours from Hyderabad city.

“The new campus has single rooms for students that are designed according to international standards, providing a lot of space and privacy. In a different scenario, this would be a great thing but one must understand that Indian kids are not used to living by themselves and that kind of space might prove negative,” said a PhD student at IIT-Hyderabad, who is actively involved in the administration’s efforts to prevent student suicides.

“Since this is a new campus, students do not even have avenues for entertainment and common hang-out zones. In the absence of someone to talk to…students tend to get depressed,” he added.

“In the older campus, if one got out of their room, they would bump into at least four people. Here it is difficult to find people around.”

A student of B.Tech third year ThePrint spoke to, agreed. “We cannot complain much since it is a new campus but it does lack common hangout zones and places where students can interact,” he said. “For new students, this does get depressing.”

Also read: To check student suicides in IITs, govt wants professional counsellors & wellness centres 

Worried administration steps in

The suicides have worried the administration and the student community alike and the institute is now trying to take proactive steps to prevent them.

IIT-Hyderabad director, B.S. Murthy, Wednesday morning shared an email with students, including the post graduate and PhD aspirants, seeking suggestions to make the campus a more student-friendly place.

“The director has invited inputs from students, especially PhD students about making the campus a more interactive place for students,” one of the students who received the email told ThePrint.

“The latest suicide incident has shattered everyone on campus and there is a serious intent to change the environment.”

The student added that there is a plan to launch a “mentor programme”, under which, one faculty member will mentor three to four students and address all the issues that they have, personal as well as those related to academics.

Also read: IIT mania is costing students quality time at schools. But CBSE, other bodies still sleeping

In suicide notes, mention of academic pressure, depression

In all the three suicides, students have mentioned issues such as academic pressure, peer-pressure and depression.

The first victim was M. Anirudh, a third-year mechanical and aerospace engineering student who committed suicide on 31 January.

In July this year, Mark Andrew Charles, a native of Varanasi district in Uttar Pradesh killed himself. In his suicide note that he wrote in a diary, Mark said he felt the world does not treat well those who do not succeed in life. He wrote that he was “feeling empty but not sad”.

According to one of his close friends, he was a good student but depressed because of his grades.

Pichikala Siddharth, who jumped off a building Tuesday, wrote that “life was depressing” for him.

A masters student who did not wish to be named told ThePrint that attitude of the faculty also contributed in making students lose hope.

“I have not seen this with our faculty but at the undergraduate level, some faculty members are very harsh with students,” the student said. “They tell them that they are good for nothing… Students also think Mark faced harassment from his faculty members and that made him depressed.”

ThePrint approached IIT-Hyderabad via email sent a text and called director Murthy, but there was no response until the time of publishing this copy.

On Tuesday, however, the institute had released a note expressing grief over the death of Pichikala Siddharth.


Also read: This link between kumkum & solar cells could be the next big science breakthrough

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IITians Can Now Pursue BSc Instead of Dropping Out - Qrius

IITians Can Now Pursue BSc Instead of Dropping Out

The HRD ministry and IIT Council’s joint decision to give IIT students the option of a three-year BSc course, rather than dropping out is progressive. Headlines about burnout and suicides have become far too common for a step like this to not have been taken. If only, it had been sooner.


BY QRIUS

Ah, the Indian Institutes of Technology! Bastions of excellence, for so long held in reverence by aspirants, parents, society, parents, coaching classes, industry, and parents.However, of late (and by that I mean, the past two decades), news mention of IITs have skewed toward the dark side — of burnout, dropouts, mental stress, and of course, suicides. The latter is particularly disturbing and is something that begins at coaching class stage itself. In fact, one alumnus maintains a blog documenting IIT-related extreme steps. Solutions to these problems vary from the useful (IIT Madras starting an in-house mental wellness programme) to the ridiculous (Kota using sensors in ceiling fans to detect hanging attempts).

An important step toward solving part of this was taken recently by the Human Resource Development Ministry with the approval of the IIT council, which has gone under the radar: to allow academically weak students to opt for an easier, three-year BSc (Bachelor of Science) course rather than dropping out or being forced to finish the rigorous, flagship four-year BTech (Bachelor of Technology) course. This is a fairly progressive step, especially since it comes from the same department whose minister regurgitated that WhatsApp-fuelled urban legend of NASA endorsing Sanskrit as the best programming language — at an IIT Bombay convocation, no less.

Prima facie, this seems like a positive move. For instance, an IIT graduate I spoke to wishes this option existed in his time. “In my second year, I got fed up of the IIT and had half a mind to drop. Eventually, I completed my course, but if there was an option to do a three-year BSc course then, I would have definitely taken it,” he says.

There are several good things about this move — primarily, it gives students who’ve put in a fair bit of effort and time a legitimate way out while still retaining the IIT tag, albeit to a lesser extent. Mental stress — especially on account of poor academics — can lead to several people dropping out or doing worse, and that is a terrible waste of such good potential. After all, even the person who comes in last in an IIT classroom has scaled quite a wall to get there. An alumnus, who is now a professor, puts the blame on parents and society pushing kids to do what they don’t want. “They put in so much effort on getting here, they forget to check if this is where they want to go. Most of them cope somehow. There’s always grades to be made and the JEE-like mindset helps them ‘excel’ but the constant race is tiring. And if you don’t see results it starts to seem pointless,” says the professor, who did not wish to be named.

If you scour Quora threads started by IIT students seeking advice as to whether to drop out of their courses, a lot of responses tell them to power through their courses just to get that coveted tag. While these responses don’t take into account the mental agony which is pushing them to ask strangers these questions in the first place, they further validate the HRD’s decision — a diminished tag is better than a lost one.


Apart from salvaging the candidate’s effort and time, it also becomes less of a waste of taxpayer money — an IIT education is still government-subsidised.

Another recurring theme in these questions by potential dropouts is the worry of social stigma. This too is reduced to some extent, though the question of degree relegation itself is ripe for fresh stigma by family members and society. But I’m confident that this perennially unsatisfied lot will eventually buy the “an IIT is an IIT” argument.

Apart from salvaging the candidate’s effort and time, it also becomes less of a waste of taxpayer money — an IIT education is still government-subsidised. (It’s another debate that many of the subsidy beneficiaries go abroad or do an MBA.)

What’s more, the IITs will act as trendsetters. Just like how I once argued that Apple should make a sustainable phone, which will prompt others to follow suit, I wouldn’t be surprised if more colleges consider this option, as the best colleges in the country have legitimised it. Some people might look at this as an easy way out, but I look at it as ending a bad marriage. What’s more, the country could sure use some more good scientists rather than mediocre engineers, so a happy side effect of this ruling could be adding some amount of prestige to the BSc degree itself.

And it’s an opportune time, too. “Scientific research is a field that is fast becoming a hotbed for start-ups and entrepreneurs,” says Berty Ashley, senior molecular geneticist, at Bangalore’s DART, a research lab in India focusing on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. “Students, even dropouts, who have a creative side and an innovative thought process might find themselves well suited for research and will derive a lot of satisfaction from contributing here.”

Of course, all of this will depend on the implementation and post-degree path of these students. An optimistic way of looking at it is that even an academic failure at an IIT should find gainful employment, though not as lucrative as what his BTech brethren might grab. Another IIT professor I spoke to was more circumspect. “Market forces are untested — we don’t know how recruiters will react to this. Many might wonder why they should recruit students who were academically weak.” A fair point, though one could hope that in the worst case, many of them might be compelled to pursue a career in the sciences itself. The same professor said that the key would lie in whether the switch was voluntary — something that is unclear at the moment. It might well be that different IITs approach this differently, as they do in the case of, say, expulsions.

For many companies, this might not be a bad arrangement. As an ex-software slave, I can tell you that IT companies don’t give two hoots about your engineering background, as long as you can learn to code after a month-long training period. In fact, during my time there, I learnt that increasingly, the “cheaper” BSc students were being preferred as the end outcome would be the same. Perhaps IIT-dropout-BSc students might mean IIT students get less menial jobs? I do see some benefits on that front, but again, time will tell.

All in all, this is to my mind a progressive move. It might mean that fewer students might be put up on a pedestal, but it could also mean that fewer of them might use a pedestal to reach a ceiling fan.

I never thought I’d say this, but… Good job, HRD.

Deepak Gopalakrishnan

This article was originally published on Arre

‘It was Siddharth’s dream to study in IIT’, father recollects memories of son who committed suicide

His mother reportedly could not sense anything wrong with her son as he reportedly did not say anything out of the ordinary, Siddharth’s uncle Laxmi Narayana, told TNIE. 

Published: 30th October 2019 04:42 AM  |   Last Updated: 30th October 2019 04:42 AM  |  A+A A-

Third-year computer science student of IIT-Hyderabad Siddharth Pichikala.

By B kartheek

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: An inconsolable Srinivas, 48, still cannot come to terms with the fact that his 20-year-old son is no more. Srinivas kept recalling how Siddharth, a third-year student of computer science and engineering at IIT, Hyderabad, had promised to visit home on Tuesday. As the post-mortem examination was being carried out at the Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, Srinivas said, before breaking into sobs, “He promised yesterday that he would meet us today [Tuesday] when I spoke to him. He didn’t come home for Diwali citing that he had an exam a day after the festival.”

In a mail sent to his friends minutes before jumping off the hostel building early on Tuesday, Siddharth said that he was struggling to deal with his poor academic performance, among other misfortunes. He also stated that he had been feeling mentally exhausted for the last two months and had finally decided to end his life. However, in the suicide note, Siddharth did not directly blame the institute for the decision in any manner.

“He was always a meritorious student who secured 100 per cent marks in academics. It was his dream to study in IIT. He was shortlisted for several top engineering institutes in the country. We never forced him to do engineering,” said Srinivas, a software professional himself. “Siddharth never seemed to be stressed, and he was free to do whatever he wanted to do,” the grief-struck father added.

On Monday night, Siddharth had called his mother and spoken for nearly 15 minutes. His mother reportedly could not sense anything wrong with her son as he reportedly did not say anything out of the ordinary, Siddharth’s uncle Laxmi Narayana, told TNIE. 

Why Depression Among India’s Students Should Not Be Taken Lightly - Youth Ki Aavaaz,

Why Depression Among India’s Students Should Not Be Taken Lightly

frank John Walter in Activities on Campus, Campus Watch, Mental Health
9 months ago

Trigger Warning: Suicide

Getting in to an IIT is an aspiration of many students and life seems very fortunate when a student makes their way in but this fortune gets intriguing when hidden aspects are introduced. The death of a 21-year-old student of IIT Hyderabad comes as a shock for everyone but just like the others, this will also be untended and forgotten with time.

Anirudhya, who hailed from Secunderabad, was pushed to suicide and jumped from a seven-storey-hostel building on January 31. His death was first recognised as an accidental fall from the building but later his emails to his friends revealed that he was suffering from depression.

This is not the first time a student has resorted to suicide due to depression; a large number of similar cases have been reported previously. In May 2017, Arjun Bhardwaj, a 24-year-old management student ended their life and cited the fear of failure in exams in a note. In September 2018, Shahal Kormath, a 23-year-old student of IIT Madras, died by suicide as he feared that he won’t be allowed to appear in final examinations due to being short of attendance.
Also Read: The One Thing That Helped Me Battle Depression And Survive IIT

In December 2018, a second year MBBS student also resorted to suicide at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana. In February the same year, Shivani Bansal, a 22-year-old MBBS student, was pushed to suicide at Government Medical College, Srinagar saying that she wanted to be a cricketer and never wanted to become a doctor.

This list of suicides among students goes on with every case being cast away with time but we cannot ignore that the numbers are increasing everyday. According to a 2015 report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), every hour, a student is pushed to suicide in India!

In 2015, there were a total of 8934 cases of suicide reported and depression was found to be leading cause of suicide. According to a report by the WHO, 6.5% of the total population is affected with depression making India the 6th most depressed country in the world.
Also Read: Colleges Can Prevent Students From Committing Suicide If They Only Paid Attention

Depression has been cited as the most common cause of suicide. A report states that almost 300 million people are affected with depression worldwide yet it is the most ignored problem. The increasing number of suicide among students is a problem that should not be taken lightly.

A thorough investigation is required as to why a student, after clearing IIT and getting admission, still resorts to suicide. Is the curriculum designed in such a way that it forces a student to think that “life holds no meaning” as stated by Anirudhya’s note, or does the environment not allow positive values to be inculcated?

Is it the burden of becoming a doctor or an engineer borne by students to fulfill the dreams of their parents responsible for a suicide?

A healthy and open approach is required to deal with this situation. A homeostasis between a positive approach and studies in campuses is needed and open discussion is necessary to solve the issue.

Ignoring the issue will only be problematic. Acceptance of depression is required and in-campus counselling should be carried out to help students. They should not be forced to become what they don’t want to. Rather, each one should be appreciated and motivated for their respective talents and should be encouraged to pursue their area of interest.
Featured image used for representative purposes only.
Featured image source: Pixnio

'Depressed' IIT-Hyderabad Student Kills Himself on Campus, Third Suicide at The Institute This Year - News 18,

'Depressed' IIT-Hyderabad Student Kills Himself on Campus, Third Suicide at The Institute This Year

Siddharth Pichikala, a third-year student of computer science, jumped off the third floor of the hostel building around 3.26 am on Wednesday morning.

Rishika Sadam | CNN-News18Updated:October 29, 2019, 4:33 PM IST

Hyderabad: In the third incident of suicide at the institute this year, a 20-year-old student of Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H) killed himself in the early hours of Tuesday.

Siddharth Pichikala, a third-year B-Tech student of computer science, jumped off the third floor of the hostel building at around 3.26 am.

Pichikala was taken to a private hospital where he was declared dead. His body has now been shifted to Gandhi Hospital, run by the Government, for an autopsy.

Minutes before the tragedy, he had sent an email to his friends, which said he is unable to concentrate on academics, pushing him to a stage of depression and forcing him to take this extreme step.

“There is a critic within me questioning my every move to the extent that I feel I shouldn’t exist. I shouldn’t exist because I am a self-obsessed guy. I was brought up that way, being compared with my peers all the time,” read the suicide note.

The police said the deceased was depressed over his performance in academics over the last two months. He was scared of his future as well as his career, they added.

“Life rather seems depressing. Never-ending strands of misfortune to an extent that I mentally couldn’t tolerate it. I have no clue how my future is going to be. I have been feeling this for the past two months,” said the email.

Following a complaint from the management, a case has been registered under Section 174 of the CrPC.

“IIT Hyderabad faculty, staff and students extend their deepest condolences to the family, friends and other near and dear ones of the deceased student. This is indeed an irreparable loss to the institute and the family.” a statement from the institute said.

This is the third incident in the campus within a year. In July, Mark Andrew Charles, a second-year Masters’ student from Uttar Pradesh, committed suicide by hanging himself in his hostel room. In his suicide note, Charles said he may not get good marks and that there is “no future for failures” in the world.

Anirudhya Mummaneni, a third-year student, jumped off the hostel building in February.

'Life depressing, no clue about future': IIT-Hyderabad student leaps to death off hostel building - India Today

'Life depressing, no clue about future': IIT-Hyderabad student leaps to death off hostel building

A 20-year-old student of IIT-Hyderabad committed suicide after sending mails to his friends saying he did not find life interesting and that he had no idea about how his future was going to pan out


Press Trust of India HyderabadOctober 29, 2019UPDATED: October 29, 2019 17:48 IST



This was the third student suicide at the IIT-Hyderabad this year (Getty photo for representation)

HIGHLIGHTS
The boy was a 20-year-old BTech student at the IIT-Hyderabad
In a suicide note, the student indicated he was depressed
This was the third student student at the IIT-Hyderabad this year

Driven by depression, a 20-year-old BTech student of Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad allegedly leaped to death from the hostel building on the campus here on Tuesday, in the third suicide by a student of the prestigious institution this year, police said.

A third year computer science and engineering student, Pichikala Siddarth, who hails from the city, jumped off from the third floor of the hostel building at around 3.25 am.
Security staff and some students who noticed it rushed him to a private hospital. Later he was shifted to a corporate hospital where he died without responding to treatment, Sangareddy district Deputy Superintendent of Police P Sridhar Reddy said.

According to police, before committing the extreme act, Siddartha sent mails to some of his friends saying he did not find life interesting and his death will not make big difference to the world.

"Life rather seems depressing I have no clue how my future is going to be. I have been feeling this for the past two months. Also the courses are going bad for me. I could not concentrate well...," he purportedly wrote in the mail to his friends.

The institute, located in Sangareddy district about 50 km from here, condoled the death of Siddarth.

"IIT Hyderabad Faculty, staff and students extend their deepest condolences to the family, friends and other near and dear ones of the deceased student. This is indeed an irreparable loss to the institute and the family. May his soul rest in peace," it said in a release.

Siddarth is the third student of IIT-Hyderabad to take his life this year.

Earlier in July, Mark Andrew Charles, a native of Varanasi District in Uttar Pradesh and a final year Masters student, committed suicide by hanging.

On January 31, M. Anirudh, a third year Mechanical and Aerospace engineering student, ended his life by jumping off the hostel building.

READ | 'Sorry I turned out to be a waste': IIT Hyderabad student commits suicide, leaves haunting note

READ | Decision to end my life purely logical: IIT student before jumping off hostel building

WATCH | Depression, a silent epidemic among Indian teens





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IIT-Hyderabad student ..Commits Suicide - TOI

IIT-Hyderabad student ..

Read more at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/71804667.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

St Stephens Professor Kills Himself After Forcing Mother To Commit Suicide

CAMPUS KI KHABAR

St Stephens Professor Kills Himself After Forcing Mother To Commit Suicide

BY BHAVIKA BHATIA
OCTOBER 22, 2019


On October 19, an ad hoc Philosophy Professor, Allen Stanley at St Stephens College perpetrated suicide by jumping in front of a train post forcing his own mother to end her life at their Pitampura house. The 27 year old Allen Stanley’s body was found near platform 3 at Central Delhi’s Sarai Rohilla Railway Station. While his mother Lissy, who was 55 was found hanging from the ceiling fan. Her mouth was stuffed with a cloth and her limbs were tied.

After further investigation, it was found that the two had a case of abetment of suicide registered against them in Kerala, their home state. The case was filed by Lissy’s second husband who passed away last year, and was on anticipatory bail.

The teacher left a four-page suicide note in which he clearly mentioned the case and said he and his mother were upset and depressed about it. Allen Stanley was a temporary Professor of Philosophy at Stephen’s college and was doing his PhD from IIT Delhi.

The police reported Stanley and Lissy had an ongoing property dispute with her second husband’s first wife. The police received a call at 12:30 PM on Saturday from a relative of Lissy stating she was not responding to calls and her house door was closed.

“When the police team reached her apartment in Pitampura and checked the handle of the door, it opened. She was found hanging from the ceiling fan and her mouth was stuffed with a cloth. The police tried contacting her son Allen but he could not be reached” a police official was quoted as saying.

It was suspected that someone must have forced her to perpetrate suicide since the cloth was stuffed in her mouth, a case of murder was registered at Rani Bagh police station. Meanwhile, Allen’s friend who is an associate professor, tried calling him but the phone was answered around 1:30pm by a Government Railway Police (GRP) officer who informed him that Allen has committed suicide on the railway tracks.

The investigating team revealed that Stanley had told a colleague on 15th October that he was thinking of perpetrating suicide. “He had tried to force his mother to end her life five days back but she did not agree,” Koan said.

The police also stated Allen was very depressed over police investigations against him and his mother.

“His friends and relatives who stayed in Delhi had even visited their house after he had attempted to force his mother to commit suicide. They tried telling them that things would be fine but Stanley wanted to end his life. We suspect the mother had cloth in her mouth because Stanley wanted to make sure she didn’t scream,” said a police office

IIT boy falls to death - Telegraph India

IIT boy falls to death
Campus sources said he could only have fallen off the sixth floor or the terrace

By Our Special Correspondent in Bhubaneswar

Published 23.10.19, 1:49 AM

An IIT source appealed for an end to speculation about a possible suicide and the likely motives, citing the dignity of the deceased(Shutterstock)


Asecond-year IIT Bhubaneswar student apparently fell to his death at his hostel on Monday evening.

Chirag Pravin Jain, 19, a BTech student of computer science from Pune, stayed in a second-floor room at the six-storey Mahanadi Hall of Residence, one of the institute’s four hostels. He was found lying on the ground with a smashed head.

“A case of unnatural death has been registered. We are waiting for the post-mortem report. Investigation is on to ascertain the cause of death,” DCP Anup Kumar Sahu said.

An IIT media release described Chirag as “an academically bright” student. His parents have arrived to claim the body.

Sources said Chirag had played a leading role in welcoming Isro chairman K. Sivan to the campus during the institute’s convocation on September 21.

On his Facebook page, Chirag had described himself as “secretary, Neuromancers, IIT Bhubaneswar” and as a member of “The Fourth Wall (Dramatics Society of IIT, Bhubaneswar)”.

Campus sources said he could only have fallen off the sixth floor or the terrace, since all the five floors below have grilles rising from the parapets to the ceiling.

An IIT source appealed for an end to speculation about a possible suicide and the likely motives, citing the dignity of the deceased.

“Many people will say many things, like he was under mental pressure because of studies or may have been in love with a girl,” the source said.

“But all these are rumours. No one need caste aspersions on the character of a bright student. Everyone should wait for the investigation report.”

IIT Student Dies After Allegedly Falling From Hostel Roof In Odisha - NDTV

IIT Student Dies After Allegedly Falling From Hostel Roof In Odisha

Chirag Pravin Jain, a second year student of Computer Science, was found dead on Monday evening.

Bhubaneshwar | Indo-Asian News Service | Updated: October 22, 2019 18:48 IST



The parents of the student have been informed about the incident.

BHUBANESWAR:

A student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bhubaneswar died after allegedly falling from the hostel roof, police said on Tuesday.

Chirag Pravin Jain, a second year student of Computer Science, was found dead on Monday evening.

Chirag Jain belonged to Pune, Maharashtra and was admitted to a hospital after he reportedly fell from the roof of the hostel. He, however, died at the hospital while undergoing treatment.

"On Monday evening, a student of IIT-Bhubaneswar fell off from the roof and sustained serious injuries. He was rushed to hospital where he succumbed to the injury. A case of unnatural death has been registered and we are investigating the case," said Anup Sahu, Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police.

IIT Bhubaneswar in a statement said the local police is currently investigating the matter and trying to ascertain the exact cause of death.

The parents of the student have been informed about the incident.

"This is indeed an irreparable loss to the institute and the family. May his soul rest in peace," the institution said in the statement.

Friends blame ''malicious'' news report for death of DU prof, mother

    

THE NEWS SCROLL21 OCTOBER 2019 Last Updated at 7:10 PM | SOURCE: PTI

Friends blame ''malicious'' news report for death of

 DU prof, mother

New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) Friends and colleagues of DU professor Alan Stanley,

 who allegedly committed suicide, on Monday blamed "malicious" a news

 report published against Stanley and his mother for the tragedy.

The decapitated body of Stanley, who was an ad-hoc professor in Delhi

 University''s (DU) St Stephen''s College, was found on the railway tracks at

 Sarai Rohilla here on Saturday and his mother Lissy was found hanging from

 a ceiling fan, with her mouth stuffed with a piece of cloth, in their Pitampura

 flat.

According to a friend of Stanley, who requested anonymity, "He had faced a

 lot of hardship. He lost his father when he was in the final year of college.

 Later, he ensured that his mother remarry, despite facing opposition from his

 elder brother, who drifted away from them."

The mother-son duo was in depression because of an abetment-to-suicide

 case pending against them in Kerala and both were on anticipatory bail.

Stanley''s friends accused the regional media in Kerala for a news report

 published on October 15, portraying his mother in bad light by apparently

 comparing her to the prime suspect in the Koodathai serial murder case.

One of the professor''s friends recalled him as a person who was never

 greedy for money.

"He valued human relationships more than money. On top of that, he was

 earning quite well from his teaching job at St Stephen''s. I remember the

 board inside his room in IIT''s Shivalik hostel, which had the details of who

 all he owed money to and who all had borrowed money from him," he said.

He also recalled Stanley as a "religious person" who would go to the Hauz

 Khas church every evening.

The crime branch of Kerala Police is probing the abetment-to-suicide case

 registered against Stanley and his mother in Idukki district of the southern

 state. The case was registered on September 17, TA Antony, Deputy

 Superintendent of Police (DSP), District Crime Branch, Idukki, said.

The case was lodged by the son of Stanley''s stepfather.

"He had alleged that Lissy forced her husband to transfer some of his cash

 to her account. Most of his liquid funds were transferred to her account. 

The stepfather became depressed and even consulted a psychiatrist," 

the DSP said.

The psychiatrist advised treatment and care for Lissy''s husband Wilson, 

but she allegedly demanded a flat from him, forcing him to take his life, the

 officer added.

Wilson committed suicide by hanging himself.

"At that time, the police had investigated the case as one of unnatural death.

 Later, Wilson''s family levelled allegations against Lissy, saying she had 

driven him to commit suicide. There are allegations that a total amount of

 Rs 70 lakh was transferred to her account and that she is a nominee to her

 husband''s deposits of Rs 2.25 crore," the DSP said.

A case was registered under sections 305 (abetment of suicide of child or

 insane person) and 380 (theft in dwelling house, etc.) of the Indian Penal

 Code (IPC) against the mother-son duo, he added.

Principal of St Stephen''s College John Varghese said the college will hold a

 condolence meeting for Stanley.

A colleague of Stanley recalled him as a professor with whom students

 could connect since he was only a few years senior to them. PTI SLB RC

Disclaimer :- This story has not been edited by Outlook staff and is 

auto-generated from news agency feeds. Source: PTI

IIT student commits suicide by jumping off from hostel roof

TWIN CITY

By Pragativadinewsservice Last Updated Oct 22, 2019

193
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Bhubaneswar: A student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bhubaneswar allegedly committed suicide by jumping off from the six-storey hostel building here on Monday evening.

The deceased has been identified as Chirag Pravin Jain of Maharashtra. Chirag was an academically bright 2nd-year Computer Science Engineering student. He was staying at Mahanadi Hall of the resident hostel on the campus.

According to the initial reports, Chirag had sustained injuries after he allegedly jumped off from the six-storey building of the hostel yesterday evening. He was immediately rescued and rushed to the hospital where doctors declared him ‘brought dead’.

While the exact cause behind the death of the youth is yet to be ascertained, it is suspected that he might have committed suicide. Police have registered a case and launched a probe into the incident.
IIT-Bhubaneswar has condoled the death of the student. “This is indeed an irreparable loss to the institute and the family. May his soul rest in peace,” the institution said.

DU prof, found dead on railway line, may have forced mother into suicide pact: Cops

DU prof, found dead on railway line, may have forced mother into suicide pact: Cops

Police have also recovered two knives from the bedroom of the Pitampura flat, where the 55-year-old woman was found hanging from the ceiling fan on Saturday afternoon.

DELHI Updated: Oct 22, 2019 05:57 IST

Karn Pratap Singh
Hindustan Times, New Delhi

Investigators said the man’s colleagues and family friends had been regularly talking to them and trying their best to discourage them from ending their lives.(Representational Image)


Investigations into the deaths of St Stephen’s College adhoc assistant professor and his mother has revealed that the man may have allegedly forced his mother into a suicide pact some days ago. The plan, however, didn’t materialise at that time because she backed out, police said.

Investigators said the man’s colleagues and family friends had been regularly talking to them and trying their best to discourage them from ending their lives.

“A witness has confirmed that the man had told him that he had tried to force his mother to commit suicide once earlier, but she had backed out then,” said A Koan, deputy commissioner of police (outer)

Police have also recovered two knives from the bedroom of the Pitampura flat, where the 55-year-old woman was found hanging from the ceiling fan on Saturday afternoon. The woman’s mouth was stuffed with clothes and her limbs were tied, leading police to suspect that the ad hoc assistant professor may have allegedly murdered his mother.

“The presence of knives suggest that the man may have used them to threaten his mother and dissuade her from raising an alarm,” said an investigator.

Police said the duo was facing an abetment to suicide case that was reportedly filed in a police station in Kerala, allegedly by the family of the woman’s second husband’s former wife. The woman’s first husband reportedly died (reason and cause not known) in 2016 in Kerala’s Kottayam. She then married for a second time in 2018.

“Her second husband killed himself in December 2018. We don’t know the reason behind his extreme step. His first wife’s family members filed an abetment to suicide case against the woman and her son. We are yet to get a copy of the FIR,” said Rajender Singh Sagar, additional deputy commissioner of police (outer).

Police said the ad hoc assistant professor was pursuing his PhD from IIT-Delhi. An official from IIT-Delhi said the two were reportedly distressed by some media reports about their case.

On Sunday, a few family friends of the mother-son duo took to social media and blamed a few media organisations in Kerala for their deaths. They accused the media houses of allegedly publishing stories in which the woman was blamed for her second husband’s death, causing “unbearable public humiliation” to her and her son.

“He had taken classes on Friday and the students are shocked that he took this step,” a third-year student of St Stephen’s College said, requesting anonymity.

St Stephen's lecturer had suicidal tendencies: Delhi Police

St Stephen's lecturer had suicidal tendencies: Delhi Police

Delhi Police claimed to have been informed by the people close to the 25-year guest lecturer of St Stephen's College that the he had tried to 'convince' mother to commit suicide just five days ago.
ADVERTISEMENT


Indo-Asian News ServiceNew DelhiOctober 20, 2019UPDATED: October 20, 2019 21:04 IST



Stanley, an ad-hoc faculty of philosophy at St Stephen's College, was pursuing PhD from IIT-Delhi. (Photo: Facebook)

In the 'murder and suicide' case of a 25-year guest lecturer of St Stephen's College of Delhi and his mother, the Delhi Police claimed to have been informed by the people close to the mother-son duo that the son had tried to 'convince' mother to commit suicide just five days ago.

When Alan Stanley's mother Lissy refused to listen to him and commit suicide, he killed her, as per the primary investigation. Stanley had suicidal tendencies and had tried to commit suicide earlier too. They belonged to Kottayam of Kerala.

"Statements by many neighbours and some of Stanley's friends have hinted that Alan had suicidal tendencies and was even trying to 'convince' his mother to give up her life," a policemen involved in the investigation told IANS.

According to the source, Alan's mother Lissy had married twice and had another son from her first marriage. After the death of her first husband, she remarried in 2018. Her second husband too died some time ago.

The police told IANS, the duo, on bail, was accused in the case of abetment of suicide of Lissy's second husband.

"The police had received information about a body on a rail track, close to platform No 3 of Sarai Rohilla station, on Saturday. The body was found in two parts. The police recovered mobile phone, some documents and driving licence, which revealed that it was a body of Alan Stanley," a Delhi Police officer had told IANS.

Stanley, an ad-hoc faculty of philosophy at St Stephen's College, was pursuing PhD from IIT-Delhi. He had been living in Delhi for one-and-a-half years and was joined by his mother only seven months ago.

St Stephen’s teacher, mother found dead: ‘He was troubled by media coverage of stepfather’s suicide’

St Stephen’s teacher, mother found dead: ‘He was troubled by media coverage of stepfather’s suicide’

In a social media post, Stanley’s friend Rajiv Pereira also made similar allegations, referring to reports in two Malayalam news portals on October 15 and 18.

Written by Sukrita Baruah |New Delhi |Updated: October 21, 2019 9:23:14 am


XAlan Stanley (27) and his mother lived in Pitampura.

After the death of PhD scholar and teacher Alan Stanley, and his mother, Saturday, his mentor and friends have alleged the two were driven to death by media coverage of the death of his stepfather.

The 27-year-old was a second-year PhD candidate at IIT-Delhi’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and his area of research was the philosophy of chemistry. In January, Stanley had joined St Stephen’s College as an ad-hoc teacher in its philosophy department. He had studied BSc Chemistry at St Stephen’s before doing an MA in Philosophy from Hyderabad Central University and beginning his PhD.

Also Read | St Stephen’s teacher, mother found dead in suspected murder-suicide

“Everyone was aware that both mother and son were very disturbed by reports in Malayalam newspapers, connecting them to his stepfather’s death… We are going to pursue the matter legally and demand that there be some kind of guidelines on how reporting is done,” said his PhD supervisor Sanil V.
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In a social media post, Stanley’s friend Rajiv Pereira also made similar allegations, referring to reports in two Malayalam news portals on October 15 and 18: “Aunty was compared to the prime suspect of the Koodathai murder incident.. For the past six months, Alan and his mother were facing legal battles on (a) property dispute and an investigation regarding the suicide of Alan’s stepfather. These cases had broken them down… Alan stopped communicating after October 15. Our friends in Delhi reached (out) to him, only to find he and his mother had lost all hope.”

His students remember him as being deeply passionate about teaching philosophy. “We were the first batch that he had taught; he was very excited about it. He would spend a lot of time teaching us different mathematical paradoxes. I will always remember the internal assessment test he conducted. In the middle of it, he pulled out packets of fruit juices. We stopped writing for a few moments to squeal about how sweet the gesture was,” said Urna Chakraborty, whom Stanley had taught in her final semester.