SC task force survey: 9 pc students reported suicidal thoughts, 34 pc felt like outsiders on Indian campuses

• A Supreme Court-appointed task force survey of more than 2.43 lakh students found 9 per cent reported suicidal thoughts and 34 per cent felt like outsiders on campus.

• The findings come as the parents of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode enter the second day of a hunger strike seeking action against those they hold responsible for his death.

• Wakode’s parents allege caste discrimination; his death is being investigated by the Mumbai Crime Branch, while IIT Bombay has formed a 10-member inquiry committee.

Nine per cent of students surveyed across higher education institutions reported experiencing suicidal thoughts often or very often, while 34 per cent said they felt like outsiders on campus to varying degrees, according to a nationwide survey conducted by a Supreme Court-appointed task force examining student suicides.

The findings, released amid renewed concern over student suicides, come as the parents of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode entered the second day of a hunger strike in Mumbai on Tuesday, demanding action against those they allege were responsible for their son's death.

The National Task Force (NTF) survey received responses from more than 2.43 lakh students, of whom 67 per cent belonged to SC, ST and OBC categories. About 15 per cent said they had experienced a period in the previous six months when they felt very overwhelmed or distressed, or experienced low moods or anxiety continuously for several weeks.

The survey found that 56 per cent of students trusted their institution's administration to handle serious issues fairly, while around 32 per cent said their institute did not offer counselling services.

Officials said concerns about academic choices and employment were common. However, they cautioned that the findings were preliminary and tentative because the sample was not representative. The survey is expected to form part of the task force's final report, due by 31 October.

The NTF has also conducted 30 meetings at 19 institutional sites across Delhi and the National Capital Region, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Assam and West Bengal. Students raised concerns including strict attendance policies, academic and clinical overload, intense competition, faculty shortages, inadequate practical training and problems with supervision of research scholars.

The task force's earlier interim report had also flagged social discrimination, sexual harassment, gender discrimination and caste-based discrimination and humiliation in higher education.

The findings have emerged against the backdrop of the death of Wakode, a 22-year-old second-year IIT Bombay student who was found hanging in his hostel room on 18 September.

Wakode's parents, Ravindra and Sonali, began a hunger strike at Mumbai's Azad Maidan on Monday and continued it on Tuesday, seeking the arrest of those named in the FIR registered in connection with his death. Their lawyer, Nikhil Kamble, said no government representative had approached them so far.

Union minister of state for social justice Ramdas Athawale spoke to the couple over the phone on Tuesday and assured them that justice would be done. He also said action should be taken against those responsible for the death.

Wakode's parents have alleged that their son had complained about caste discrimination at IIT Bombay. They have sought the arrest of professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been named in the FIR, as well as IIT Bombay director Shireesh Kedare.

Doolla has been sent on leave. IIT Bombay has constituted a 10-member committee to inquire into the circumstances surrounding Wakode's death, while the Mumbai Crime Branch is investigating the case. The family has said it will continue the hunger strike until Doolla and Kedare are arrested.

According to the police investigation, Wakode had allegedly been caught using his mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination on the day of his death. Investigators are examining CCTV footage and other evidence to reconstruct the sequence of events. The circumstances surrounding the incident, including the allegations made by his family, remain under investigation.

The NTF was constituted by the Supreme Court in March 2025 to examine the rising incidence of student suicides and mental health and wellbeing concerns in higher educational institutions.

According to an official associated with the task force, higher education enrolment increased from 29.2 million to 43.3 million between 2011 and 2022, while the student suicide rate recorded by the National Crime Records Bureau increased from 26.37 to 30.02 per one lakh students during the period.