Deaths by suicides among students trigger instant but short-lived outrage, which seldom addresses the root cause. Excellence should go beyond academic grades, and students must be reintroduced to the quiet, transformative beauty of failure, which teaches patience, fortitude, and humility.
Published Jun 27, 2025 | 1:00 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 27, 2025 | 1:00 PM
Even as academic excellence is celebrated, society is failing its students emotionally. (Creative Commons)
Synopsis: After every suicide, outrage is customary, and an investigation is launched. Sometimes, a few are arrested or suspended. But after a few news cycles, silence returns. Justice, reform, and awareness shouldn’t need a body to act. The state must act before the next obituary.
The customary outrage, largely on social media, is on the wane. The government acted swiftly, and a few teachers were suspended, even as a family at Thachanattukara in Palakkad grieves its permanent loss.
Ashirnanda, a 14-year-old Class 9 student of St Dominic’s Convent English Medium School at Sreekrishnapuram, died by suicide at her house on 24 June. The child was allegedly humiliated and mentally harassed at school.
The teenager is another example of a quiet but fatal storm taking over Kerala’s classrooms, hostels, and homes — a shame for a state that prides itself on its development indices and literacy rate.
Ashirnanda had been under mental stress after allegedly being humiliated by school authorities over her academic performance. Her parents— and other students’ — claimed she was made to change seats in the class following low marks in an internal exam. The student was further pressured into signing a written statement, reportedly in the presence of her parents, agreeing to repeat Class 8 if her performance did not improve.
“She came home upset,” said a family member, describing the school’s actions as emotionally damaging.
Expectedly, the school denied any harassment, stating that a re-exam and class reshuffling were part of routine academic support. But regardless of intent, the outcome has triggered public outrage. Local organisations, student groups, and concerned citizens called for a detailed inquiry and demanded accountability from institutions that exert emotional pressure on vulnerable minds, whether deliberately or not.
Ashirnanda’s is far from an isolated case.
In this past January, Mihir Ahmed, a ninth-grade student from Global Public School in Thiruvaniyoor, Kochi, allegedly committed suicide after enduring brutal ragging. His mother posted a gut-wrenching account online, alleging her son was verbally abused, beaten, mocked for his skin tone, and even forced to lick a toilet seat.
While official investigations have not confirmed all allegations, the family’s trauma stands as a grim reminder of unchecked abuse within school walls.
In May 2024, Ardhra, a 15-year-old from Panur in Kannur, took her life despite scoring nine A+ grades in the SSLC exam. Her fault? She was excluded from a felicitation ceremony honouring students who scored full A+ grades. The daughter of schoolteacher parents, Ardhra internalised this perceived shortfall as a mark of disgrace. Academic excellence had become a burden.
A few years ago, another Kannur student reportedly died by suicide after a newspaper article praised her for scoring high marks despite her impoverished background. What was meant to be a celebration of her grit may have inadvertently exposed her private struggles. The academic score alone was not enough to give her the strength to face the world. Such incidents expose a deeper failure in our system; not merely to protect, but to empower students to own their narratives without shame or stigma.
In June 2025, Arya Nanda, a 16-year-old from Kottayam, ended her life after failing to achieve full A+ grades in her SSLC exam. Her death, like so many others, reflects a toxic culture of perfectionism and relentless comparison.
Then, in February 2025, Benson Abraham, a Class 11 student in Paruthipally, Thiruvananthapuram, was found hanging inside his school after being scolded by a clerk. Though disciplinary action was taken, the deeper issues of student vulnerability and institutional insensitivity remain unaddressed.
In April 2025, Ambili PP, a 24-year-old third-year MBBS student at Ernakulam Medical College, ended her life in her hostel room. A top rank holder in her first-year exams, this student from Kasaragod had reportedly been facing sustained mental harassment.
Her mother filed a police complaint, alleging that Ambili was tormented by a roommate and the hostel warden, who was also a faculty member. Despite her academic brilliance, her emotional isolation ultimately claimed her life.
The death of 20-year-old JS Sidharthan, a second-year veterinary student in Wayanad, which sent shockwaves across Kerala in 2024, should also be recalled. While authorities initially treated it as a suspected suicide, the family and student groups raised serious allegations of torture and harassment, demanding a thorough and transparent investigation.
Even more disturbing is the case of a NEET aspirant in Kottayam who took his life at a coaching centre hostel two years ago, reportedly due to pressure from the institute, which feared he might not score high. The incident went largely unreported, presumably suppressed due to the commercial clout such centres wield over media outlets. This silence speaks volumes.
And what about Kota, Rajasthan, often dubbed India’s coaching capital, but in reality, the nation’s pressure cooker of ambitions? In the first half of 2025 alone, nine students died by suicide. Twenty-three did so in 2024, and 27 in 2023. The Supreme Court has now stepped in, calling the situation serious and demanding answers from the Rajasthan government. While geographically distant, the psychological climate of Kota mirrors Kerala’s: An obsession with academic outcomes and a systemic disregard for emotional well-being.
Even prestigious foreign universities are not immune. The death of Alexander Rogers, a 20-year-old student at Oxford University, revealed how peer ostracism and “cancel culture” contributed to his suicide. It is a sobering reminder that intellect offers no immunity against emotional trauma.
Beyond numbers, the patterns are clear. Even as academic excellence is celebrated, society is failing its students emotionally. These are not aberrations, but warning signs.
The signs – withdrawal, anxiety, hopelessness – are often visible, yet ignored. Outdated pedagogic methods, parental pressure, toxic competition, identity-based shame, and institutional apathy all compound the problem. Academic institutions continue to prioritise grades over emotional well-being.
Students must be reintroduced to the quiet, transformative beauty of failure. It teaches patience, fortitude, and humility. When embraced with empathy, failure becomes a mentor—one far more enduring than any textbook. The education system should teach students to rise, reflect, and grow — not crumble.
Psychological audits must become as routine as academic ones. These are not frills, but essentials. A trained counsellor in every school and coaching centre is a necessity, not a luxury. Society needs licensed psychologists, not weekend motivators. A safe and anonymous grievance redressal systems should be put in place, allowing students to report mistreatment by teachers, staff, or peers.
Success, too, must be redefined. A student is more than a grade-point average. Let schools nurture creativity, empathy, resilience, and emotional intelligence alongside traditional academics.
Most importantly, parents, teachers, and society at large must be willing to listen to children and teens. Their voices are not distractions. They are distress calls.
After every suicide, outrage is customary, and an investigation is launched. Sometimes, a few are arrested or suspended. But after a few news cycles, silence returns. Justice, reform, and awareness shouldn’t need a body to act. The state must act before the next obituary.
When a student takes life, it is never a private tragedy. It is a public failure. Let us not wait for the next obituary to act.
(Views are personal. Edited by Majnu Babu).
(If you need support or know someone who has suicidal thoughts, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist or contact the helpline numbers of suicide prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families. Toll-free helpline number: 1056; Tele-MANAS: 14416; Life Suicide Prevention: 7893078930; Arogya Vani: 104; Sahay Helpline: 080-25497777; Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584.)
