Students account for 8.5% of suicides

THE latest report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) presents a grim picture of the mental makeup of the student community.

- S LALITHA @New Delhi

Despite government-led concerted efforts at the national and state level to address their mental well-being, a high figure of 8.48% of the overall suicides reported in the country are from the student community. This marks a clear increase during the last decade.“The Accident Deaths and Suicides 2024” report made public on May 7 revealed that 14,488 students have taken their lives across campuses. They form a significant portion of the 1,70,746 suicides reported across India. Data compared in 2014 reveals that the suicides stood at 8,068, which was 6.1% of the overall suicide figures that year. Past data reveal an average of at least 13,000 students took the extreme step. In 2021, it was 13,089 deaths, in 2022, the number stood at 13,044, while in 2023, it was 13,892.