# IITs Urged to Spot Mental Distress Early, Cut Academic Pressure

- Topic: health
- Source: [Video published by India Today](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sWNyrgcM_M)
- Published: 2026-08-26
- Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sWNyrgcM_M
- Language: en

## At a glance

- 67 IIT student suicides reported between 2021-2025, with 14 deaths each year from 2022 to 2024.
- IIT Kharagpur leads with 11 suicides, followed by IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras with 9 each.
- Former IIT Kanpur director Dr. Manindra Agarwal calls for early mental‑health screening and reduced academic pressure.
- Data sourced from an RTI request by IIT Kanpur alumnus Dheeraj Singh, highlighting campus mental‑health crisis.

## Sources

- [India Today](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sWNyrgcM_M)

## The story

Dr. Manindra Agarwal, former director of IIT Kanpur, highlighted a troubling trend of student suicides across India’s premier engineering institutes. According to an RTI request filed by IIT Kanpur alumnus Dheeraj Singh, 67 students died by suicide between 2021 and 2025, with 14 deaths each year from 2022 to 2024. The most affected campuses include IIT Kharagpur (11), IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras (9 each), and IIT Delhi (8). Agarwal noted that IITs’ intense academic culture creates high expectations and continuous pressure, contributing to mental distress. He urged the establishment of early detection mechanisms and proactive support systems to identify signs of mental unwellness. The professor emphasized that while IITs excel academically, safeguarding student well-being must become a priority. The data underscores a growing mental‑health crisis that demands institutional action.

> Summary by Daily Read Bytes. [Read the original source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sWNyrgcM_M)