IIT Kanpur Suicide: PhD scholar’s death due to lack of accountability, ‘capable’ counsellors, allege students

“He could have been saved if his issues were addressed properly.” This was the common sentiment among over 300 students of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur who gathered for a candlelight march and a general body meeting on Tuesday evening, demanding accountability and systemic reforms after a PhD scholar died by suicide a day before.

The scholar, Ramswaroop Ishram, jumped from the sixth floor of a campus building – the second student suicide at IIT Kanpur in less than a month. On December 29, 2025, a final-year BTech student was found dead in his hostel room.

The tragedies have sparked widespread anger on campus, with students alleging institutional apathy, inadequate mental health infrastructure, and lack of accountability from the premier engineering institute’s counselling team.

In an email to the campus community, Manindra Agarwal, director, IIT Kanpur wrote about the death. He wrote, “Mr. Ishram was a promising research scholar who joined in July 2023. At this hour of grief, the institute condoles the untimely demise of a promising researcher and prays for strength to the bereaved family.”

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IIT Kanpur Suicide: Students’ take

Multiple students Careers360 spoke to said Ramswaroop had visited IIT Kanpur’s counselling service on Monday morning with his friends, but found no one available to address his distress.

“After a few calls, a counsellor attended him but only suggested he go back and rest, and gave him a 4 PM appointment the next day,” said a PhD scholar aware of the incident. “We could see he was in a serious condition – he wasn’t even able to speak properly. But we were surprised by the apathy of the counsellor.”

Students who attended Tuesday’s general body meeting demanded that appointments should be prioritised for severe cases, like that of Ramswaroop, and questioned if IIT Kanpur has “capable counsellors” on campus who can respond to mental health emergencies.

“The current mechanisms of counselling service and mental health infrastructure are not satisfactory,” said a student from IIT Kanpur’s gymkhana who didn’t want to be named. They also demanded that in such emergency cases, scheduling of appointments be faster.

The IIT Kanpur death comes in the midst of a Supreme Court-driven investigation into the well-being of students and the causes of suicides among them. The lack of adequate mental health support and bodies intended to address welfare being only “on paper” were also among the findings of the National Task Force established by the SC to conduct the probe.

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IIT Kanpur: Lack of accountability

During the general body meeting, students repeatedly called Alok Bajpai, head-clinical, centre of mental health and wellbeing team, and Sudhnashu Shekhar Singh, admin head, to address their concerns, but neither turned up.

“We want the head councellor to take accountability of the incidents and address the concerns of the students,” said the student from gymkhana.

After waiting for hours, over 300 students went to Pratik Sen, dean of student affairs (DoSA), IIT Kanpur, on Tuesday late night.

“Some demands were noted and further discussions will take place during the open house scheduled during the weekend,” said a student who attended the DoSA meeting.

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‘Power imbalance’ at IIT Kanpur

“There is a power imbalance between students and faculty where students are penalised for every delay but the faculty gets constant promotion,” a student stated this during the meeting with DoSA, Careers360 was informed.

Recently, PhD students had received a notice after a senate meeting that if a scholar is not able to complete a thesis within seven years, they will be terminated, a PhD scholar stated.

During the early house, a survey was circulated amongst students by the postgraduate student council to gather the demands of students. “The survey results will be presented during the Open house meeting,” said a student who is part of IIT Kanpur’s student gymkhana.

Pratik Sen issued a statement saying: "IIT Kanpur has always recognised the importance of supporting their student community and encouraged them to put their well-being first and prioritise their mental health and needs. With a culture that encourages personal growth and development, the institute goes beyond academics, supporting holistic development of their students."

The institute has also formulated a "fact-finding" committee to probe into the situation, the statement added.

(Careers360 wrote to the IIT Kanpur administration for comments on the allegations but received no response until publication of this story. If and when they do, this story will be updated.)

If you know someone – friend or family member – at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. Those in distress or having suicidal thoughts or tendencies could seek help and counselling by calling 9820466726 or visiting AASRA’s official website or can call iCALL on 9152987821. Here are some more helpline numbers of suicide prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.