IITians hold forum to discuss student suicides

A student group consisting mostly of IITians, a few other institutions and other social strata has decided to discuss the issue of increasing number of students committing suicide. The aim of the discussion is to analyse the reasons from a student’s point of view and find a solution to the problem, which could then be submitted to the government. The discussion was held on Monday night at the IIT-B campus.

Samwad, the social club of IIT-Bombay, decided to initiate the discussion as statistics from various organisations, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that India had the maximum number of suicide cases in the age group of 15-29 years.

A club spokesperson said, “The number of students ending their lives has alarmingly increased in the recent few years, thus making it a serious topic of social concern. As per WHO data of 2012, India has one of the world’s highest suicide rates among people aged between 15 years and 29 years. Also, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in the 15-19 age group. A large portion of this age group consists of students like us.”

The spokesperson said, “The reasons aren’t few. Stress, unable to meet the expectations of others, family breakdown, depression... the list goes on. The idea behind having such a discussion is to identify what exactly can we, as members of the society and as students, do to prevent and minimise this problem ”

The spokesperson said that though the discussion was initiated in a meeting that was held on Monday night, it would continue on the Samwad online discussion group and the outcome of the discussions will be shared with the relevant authorities to ensure that student suicides rate is kept in check and steps taken to identify and help those with suicidal tendencies.