Mourning the death of their son, the parents of Varad Sanjay Nerkar, who was a second-year MTech student pursuing Polymer Science from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, wrote a complaint letter on March 3, 2024, to IIT Delhi Director Prof Rangan Banerjee, demanding strict action against the alleged culprits involved in their son's death.
It may be recalled that on February 15, Varad took his own life in his hostel room at IIT Delhi.
As per the email, the parents claim that the reason why their son died by suicide was the alleged mental harassment he underwent at the hands of his project guides Prof Harpal Singh, Prof Josemon Jacob, as well as a PhD scholar Mohd Anees from the same department.
The email was shared with EdexLive by Dheeraj Singh, an IIT Kanpur and IIM Calcutta alumnus and the founder of an online forum, Global IIT SC/ST Support Group.
In deep grief, the parents alleged, “A bright and intelligent child like Varad cannot do this, it is because of a few hurtful things that Mr Harpal had said which compelled him to take this step." Additionally, their statement highlighted that Varad was a promising student even back when he was in school as well as while he was pursuing his BTech. "Our child was the darling of all the teachers at the college in Jalgaon (where he pursued his BTech), he was bright and smart," they said.
To recall, the death of Varad on February 15 led to protests resulting in the postponement of exams in the institute. An open house session between the students and the director was also held on February 23, resulting in nothing but students' disappointment. The ire within the students was perceptible as Varad’s death turned out to be the fourth tragedy that took place in recent months at the institute, highlighting the major issue of recurring student suicides at such premier institutions.
Mother speaks up
In an exclusive with EdexLive, the mother of the deceased, Bhathi Sanjay Nerkar, grieved the unfortunate incident, saying, "He was recruited by HFCL in Hyderabad and was going to join the job from June 1. Meanwhile, he was very worried about his final-year project and it is because of this worry that he took this extreme step."
"He was a topper student from Class I to X. After XII, he joined BTech from a college in Jalgaon, Maharashtra. Later, he cracked the GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) exam in the first attempt and landed at IIT Delhi. My son was really happy to study and be a part of such a top university like IIT Delhi. But, I was oblivious that, in the future, we will face this massive loss," she lamented.
While talking about how bright and outstanding Varad was when it came to academics, his mother narrated the last conversation she had with him, saying, "When he called me on that day around 11 am, disappointedly he said the project he was pursuing had no results. I advised him to speak to his guides, however, later there were no calls exchanged between us."
Speaking to EdexLive, father Sanjay Nerkar said, "For the past two to three months, he was worried and stressed about his project. Although he had a Service Selection Board (SSB) Indian Army interview scheduled in Prayagraj, he had cancelled it only to work on the project."
Both parents have urged the institute to take strict action against the culprits involved in the matter. "My son was not that weak to take his life. If higher education drags students to the state of suicide then this education is of no use," the mother said, stressing that Varad was chosen for IIT Delhi due to the vigorous hard work he did.
After struggling so hard and achieving all of that, why would my child die by suicide when only two months are left for completion of the course? I want justice for my son," the mother urged.
Varad's meritorious life
While pursuing his BTech from a college in Jalgaon, Varad was recognised for bringing a good name to the university as a team leader and had participated in many military exhibitions and programmes on behalf of the university. Popularly known as 'bachha', he passed BTech with flying colours.
Besides these, Varad interned with Nerolac Paint in Mumbai and later joined IIT Delhi. With an image of being a smart, bright and hard-working student, Varad worked on a project for Tata Solar Power in Prayagraj, a project for Tata Solar Power in Pokhran and a Tata Solar Power plant in Dolara near Ahmedabad. As Varad excelled in all the projects, his guide started giving him bigger responsibilities, due to which, Varad's project was getting delayed, informs the email.
Guide change
"Upset over it, we along with Varad have taken the matter to a faculty by writing an email to the Head of the Department (HoD) explaining the matter. Based on this, a new guide Prof Harpal Singh was assigned," parents explained. Varad used to work from 12 hours to 40 hours on the project, however, he was stressed and worried as he was not getting the desired results, his parents claim.
They claim that due to the pressure and stress from the guides, Varad chose the extreme step.
Further, speaking to EdexLive, the mother stressed that no other student should face any such situation in the future.
