Five suicides in a year at IIT Madras put the spotlight on India’s premier institutes—again
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, one of India’s most haloed institutions of higher learning, is grappling a serious suicide crisis. Five cases have been reported over the past year alone, the latest dating Nov. 9, when Fathima Lathif, a first-year master’s student of humanities and development studies (integrated), was found hanging in her hostel room. While no suicide note was found, the 19-year-old’s father, Abdul Lathif, has said that she left one on her cellphone, The Indian Express newspaper reported today (Nov. 13).
