Students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi are distressed over the latest incident of alleged suicide by a fellow student. Marking the third such case for 2023, Panav Jain's death has left the students questioning, "We don't know what is going wrong" in the institute. Though Jain took the extreme step at his residence in Delhi's Shahdara, he is confirmed to be residing in the same hostel as Anil Kumar, a student who took his own life early in September.
According to the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC), an independent student body at IIT Delhi, Panav's friends label the incident "shocking" and "unexpected". They said that he was always full of life, though recently he appeared to be stressed. Nonetheless, nobody had fathomed he could resort to such a step, as he was the cultural secretary and the basketball captain of his hostel, the Vindhyanchal Hostel, team.
APPSC also mentions that Panav seemed to be affected by Anil's death. "They were not roommates, but it was still the same hostel. And that is distressing enough," said a student, explaining Panav's predicament, leading to possible mental exhaustion. Some of the deceased student's friends also confirmed that he had sought counselling services at the institute.
"However, we don't know what he was going through. The IIT will not reveal details about the counselling, and since he took the extreme step at his home, there could be many reasons," an APPSC member said.
The member added that the counselling services offered at the institute were not apt. "Earlier, we had only two to three counsellors. Only about four days ago, more counsellors were added. A list was released mentioning where students could seek counselling outside the campus, the fees for which would be reimbursed to them later by the institute."
Notably, in a report by The Hindu, it is stated that Panav was under "considerable duress", as per police sources, "after his friend and hostel mate Anil Kumar committed suicide on September 10".
The students came to know about Jain's death through an email sent by the Dean of Students on November 1, which also said that a condolence meeting would be scheduled soon by the registrar. According to the students, no further email on the meeting has reached them, but it could take place tomorrow, November 3.
Expressing its concern, APPSC, in a social media post, wrote, "It is truly heartbreaking to witness a third suicide in three months. This has become a pattern. Everyday pattern. You can only carry on at the institute with a stone heart."