Fifth teen death in one month: What is driving Tamil Nadu students to suicide?

Tamil Nadu is going through a crisis with the state seeing multiple students dying by suicide in quick succession.

On Wednesday, a Class XII boy died by alleged suicide in Tamil Nadu, making him the fifth case in a month in the state.

The rising incidents in the state led to Chief Minister MK Stalin saying that he was saddened by the recent incidents of suicides by students and noted that people who run the educational institutions should consider them as a service, and not a business.

“Students are not in colleges only to get degrees. You (educators) must give them self-confidence, courage and determination. Students, especially, girls must bravely face troubles, insults and obstacles… It is my desire that Tamil Nadu students (boys and girls) should not only be intellectually sharp, but they need to grow as physically and mentally strong persons,” a PTI report quoted Stalin as saying.

The government will not remain silent and will take stringent action if girl students are troubled physically, mentally or sexually, Stalin added.

Five suicides in one month

On 6 July, an 18-year-old student in Krishnagiri district died by suicide, allegedly after he found the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) difficult to score marks in.

On 12 July, a Class XII student died by suicide in the hostel of a private school in Kallakurichi district.

The death of the teen, studying in Kaniyamoor Sakthi matriculation school in Kallakurichi of Salem district, led to widespread violence, with protesters vandalising the school and setting fire to school vehicles.

Although school authorities claim she jumped to her death, her family, citing the first post-mortem and her suicide note, accuse the management of foul play.

Also read: Kallakurichi girl suicide: How students, caste-based groups incited violence

Since the death, a special team probing the case has arrested the two accused — a chemistry teacher and a mathematics teacher for allegedly harassing the student.

Later on 25 July, a 17-year-old was found dead in the hostel of a government-aided school in Tiruvallur district.

The teen, who hailed from Thakkalur village, was residing in the hostel of Sacred Hearts Girls’ High School in Kilacheri, near Mapedu.

According to sources in a News Minute report, the student got ready for school on 25 July, but was later found dead in her room.

Her sister was quoted as telling ANI that she wasn’t the type to die by suicide. “We won't take her body without knowing what exactly happened to her,” said the sister.

The investigation of this case was immediately transferred to the CB-CID, following the recent Madras High Court order that any unnatural death reported in educational institutions should be investigated by the special crime branch.

A day later, another Class XII student died by suicide at her home in Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore. Cuddalore district Superintendent of Police S Sakthi Ganesan told IANS that the student had a rift with her mother and went to her room in a state of distress, and died by suicide.

On Wednesday, another student also died by alleged suicide in Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga district. The police reported that the boy's body was found at home and there was also a suicide note in which he said he was finding math and biology difficult.

What’s leading to the suicides?

Multiple reasons are being cited for the cause of the suicides.

Parents blame school and college authorities for the pressure they are exerting on the students. A parent speaking to News9 said many schools continue the practice of corporal punishment or exert ‘unacceptable pressure’ on students only to produce ‘excellent results’.

In an attempt to complete the syllabus, the teachers don’t bother to check if students have understood the subjects, making them wary and causing some to take the drastic step of suicide.

Teachers, on the other hand, have their own reasoning for the tragedies.

Explaining the plight, a teacher said that for the past two years, owing to COVID-19, students were at home and were putting in minimum effort. However, now students are back in school and have to deal with the burden of full syllabus.

In fact, student suicides has become a major issue for India, with the nation recording high figures in 2020. As per the National Crime Record Bureau's (NCRB) Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) report of 2020, around 8.2 per cent of students in the country died by suicide.

Of the total suicides committed by students, Tamil Nadu ranked fourth with 7.4 per cent (930 suicides).

Experts cite that the focus on exams has pushed students to the brink. Also, the myth of the supportive family also needs to be busted. In many cases, pressure from the family has been one of the primary contributors to the rising number of student suicides.

Another reason that could be attributed to suicides among students is that many of them experience exploitation, gender differences, caste inequalities.

Expert speak

Dr P Poornachandrika, director of the state-run Institute of Mental Health, told news agency PTI, “All stakeholders, including schools, colleges or parents, should have a watchful eye over suicidal tendency and take timely steps to prevent it.”

“They should interact with students and inform them that help is available to address any problems they may face. Resorting to extreme measures is not an option at all. On its side, the government is implementing several measures to ensure positive mental health among children and others should join hands in the initiative.”

Please note: A collection of suicide prevention helpline numbers are available here. Please reach out if you or anyone you know is in need of support. The All-India helpline number is: 022-27546669

With inputs from agencies

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