Central Information Commission directs IITs to form high-level committees to curb student deaths by suicides

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has instructed all Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to establish high-level committees aimed at addressing the persistent issue of student suicides. This directive follows a petition filed by Dheeraj Kumar Singh, an alumnus of IIT-Kanpur and founder of an NGO focused on student mental health and rehabilitation. The CIC's order comes amid growing concerns over the frequency of student suicides at IITs, which have sparked calls for more robust preventive strategies. Dheeraj Kumar Singh submitted a request under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, seeking detailed records of student suicides at four IITs, Madras, Kanpur, Goa, and Jodhpur, since January 1, 2005. His inquiry included data on the age, gender, caste, academic program, native state, and location of each incident, along with whether the suicide occurred on campus. He emphasized that this information was critical for academic research into the underlying causes of student suicides and would aid his NGO in improving mental health support services. In response, IIT-Madras reported seven suicides between 2019 and June 26, 2025, but refused to release personal details such as age and caste, invoking Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, which protects personal information. The First Appellate Authority upheld this refusal. Similarly, IIT-Kanpur stated that 17 suicides had been recorded between 2005 and 2025, with one reported annually and three in 2024. It too withheld personal data, citing privacy concerns. IIT-Goa claimed that personal information was exempt due to being third-party data, while IIT-Jodhpur reported no incidents. Frustrated by the lack of comprehensive data, Singh appealed to the CIC, arguing that the requested information was vital for analyzing patterns related to age, gender, and social categories. He believed such insights would enhance his organization’s ability to provide targeted counseling and support to students experiencing academic or personal distress. Despite this, the IITs maintained that disclosing sensitive details like age, caste, and identity would breach the privacy rights of the deceased and their families. They referenced legal precedents, including the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India case, the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. These laws, they argued, protect personal data and limit its disclosure unless there is a compelling public interest. The CIC acknowledged that the IITs had provided some information, such as the number of deaths, dates, genders, and locations, but had withheld names, ages, and castes based on privacy grounds. The Commission found the responses legally defensible. Despite this, the CIC expressed deep concern over the ongoing crisis of student suicides at IITs. It noted that multiple suicides have been reported annually at several campuses, particularly at IIT-Kanpur and IIT-Kharagpur. The Commission highlighted the urgent need for stronger preventive measures and urged the IITs to form high-level committees, where none had already been established, to investigate the root causes of these incidents and propose mitigation strategies. The CIC further requested that the formation and functioning of these committees be made publicly available through the IITs' official channels. This transparency, the Commission argued, would ensure accountability and enable broader engagement with stakeholders, including faculty, students, and mental health professionals, in developing effective interventions. The directive marks a pivotal step toward addressing the complex challenges surrounding student well-being in one of India’s premier educational institutions.