Shocking! Maharashtra leads in student suicides, more than farmer suicides

Pune Crime News | Shocking! Policeman’s wife tries to die by suicide after husband denied leave

Pune: A report has stated that student suicides have increased sharply in the country. It is clear that these suicides are more than farmer and other suicides. Maharashtra has got the dubious distinction of being the number 1 State in student suicides.

Titled ‘Student Suicides: An Epidemic Sweeping India’ was presented in the Annual IC3 Conference and Expo on Wednesday (August 28).

The report is based on the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data. The overall suicide rate has increased by 2 pc in India. The student suicide rate has gone up by 4 pc. Many suicides go unreported. Hence, the actual number of suicides could be higher, stated the report.

IC3 is a non-governmental organisation (NGO). It guides and trains staff in school educational institutions across the world. It also guides college teachers, counsellors and administrators.

Shocking suicide figures

The report has provided data for 2022. Student suicides in 2021 were 13,089 while they were 13,044 in 2022. There is a minor difference in the numbers in these two years. The total number of suicides (students and others) is horrifying. Over 1.64 lakh suicides took place in 2021 while over 1.70 lakh people ended their lives in 2022. The rise is 4.2 pc. Student suicides have risen by 4 pc when the figures in the past two decades are considered.

Maharashtra is leading

As many as 14 pc of the total suicides happened in Maharashtra alone. Tamil Nadu is at the second place. They are as follows:

Maharashtra – 1,764 suicides (14 pc), Tamil Nadu – 1,416 suicides (11 pc), Madhya Pradesh – 1,340 suicides (10 pc), Uttar Pradesh – 1,060 suicides (8 pc) and Jharkhand – 824 suicides (6 pc).

The highest number of student suicides took place in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh in 2021 and 2022. As many as 1/3rd suicides in the country happened in these three states. In Kota city of Rajasthan 571 suicides were reported. Rajasthan ranks 10th in the list. Many professional courses entrance exam coaching classes are conducted in Kota, where students from across the country stay.

The suicide rate in the past few years is higher than the population growth rate. The population in the age group 0-24 has reduced from 582 mn to 581 mn. Student suicides have risen from 6,654 to 13,044 in the past decade.

Girls more prone to suicides

Gender-based data reveals that there is a rise of 50 pc in boy suicides while 61 pc hike in girl suicides in the past decade. There is 5 pc rise in student suicides in the past five years.