Young IITians forced to take their lives points to "systemic problem": AISA president Neha Bora

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 25 (ANI): All India Students' Association (AISA) president Neha Bora on Tuesday called out the heavy centralisation of examinations and growing isolation in premier institutes, terming the death of 31-year-old M.Sc. Physics student Rishikesh Kumar at IIT Delhi an "institutional murder" caused by systemic pressure.
Kumar died on August 22 after falling from the sixth floor of the Lecture Hall Complex (LHC) at IIT Delhi. Police have said that no suicide note was recovered and that the circumstances surrounding his death are being investigated.
Speaking to reporters here, Bora extended support to students protesting at IIT Delhi while highlighting that IIT Bombay has witnessed three student suicides over the past three semesters.
"We extend our solidarity to the students protesting at IIT Delhi against the institutional murder of Rishikesh. We are here in Mumbai because, even at IIT Bombay, within the past year, over the last three semesters, three student suicides have occurred continuously," she said.
Moreover, Bora pointed to a hefty amount of expenditure of savings only for the families to lose their children.
"These IITs, which we look up to with so much hope and where parents spend countless savings to send their children, are facing a situation where young people are being forced to take their own lives. This points directly toward a systemic problem," she said.
The student leader criticised the high-stakes, centralised examination model, stating it forces intense pressure and isolation onto young scholars.
"Taking cognisance of this issue, we must evaluate what is happening inside IITs. Going a step further, the heavy centralisation of examinations and the increasing pressure on students, where a single exam is made to dictate their entire future, must be addressed. This centralisation must end, and the growing pressure and isolation within IITs must be eliminated," she said.
Furthermore, Bora announced the AISA's plans to meet youth in Maharashtra, scheduling gatherings in Pune on August 26 and Nagpur on August 27, while also extending support to Mumbai citizens protesting for the Neville D'Souza Football Turf.
"Additionally, we extend our solidarity to the young people and citizens of Mumbai protesting for the Neville D'Souza Stadium. Thank you, everyone. In the coming days, we will be in Pune on the 26th and in Nagpur on the 27th to meet with the youth," she said. (ANI)