On 31 October, 21-year-old Panav Jain allegedly died by suicide at his home in Delhi’s Shahdara.
If you feel suicidal or know someone in distress, please reach out to them with kindness and call these numbers of local emergency services, helplines, and mental health NGOs.)
“We have lost our son and now we cannot bring him back. But this should stop with us…no one should go through what Panav went through leading to untimely demise of a bright student,” Rakesh (name changed), a resident of Delhi’s Shahdara, told The Quint, holding back his tears.
A week ago, on 31 October, his 21-year-old son Panav Jain, a final-year BTech student at the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi, allegedly died by suicide at their residence. He was pursuing his degree in Textile Engineering, and is survived by his parents and a younger brother.
According to Delhi Police officials, Panav was suffering from “depression” and “mental stress” over the past few months due to academic pressure. His family was aware of the condition and he was under medication.
‘IIT-Delhi Was His Dream College, He Was Ecstatic When He Got In’
In 2020, Panav secured seats in two top colleges after taking the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE): the textile department at IIT-Delhi and the software engineering department at Delhi Technological University (DTU).
“I am okay with any stream as long as I study in IIT,” Panav had said, as quoted by Rakesh, before he joined IIT-Delhi.
Panav’s parents, relatives and neighbours remember him as a “brilliant student” and “kind, intelligent person.”
His family said that he was not only “academically smart,” but was also an “all-rounder, who used to participate in extra-curricular activities like playing basketball and organising cultural events.”
In IIT-Delhi, Panav was a resident of Vindhyachal Hostel and also served as the cultural secretary and vice-captain of the basketball team.
Panav also confided in his parents that he was undergoing therapy in IIT-Delhi’s counselling unit.
On the condition of anonymity, a senior police official told The Quint that an investigation suggested that Panav was suffering from “depression” and “stress” due to placement and academic-related issues. Panav was also affected after Anil Kumar, who stayed in the same hostel as him, died by suicide in September, the official added.
“Around 17-18 October, we showed him to a psychiatrist at Ganga Ram hospital, who prescribed him medicines. But, he did not take them as he was afraid that it will make him feel sleepy,” Rakesh said.
Later in October, Rakesh had reportedly asked Panav to move back home. But since it was placement period for final-year students, he used to shuttle between college and hostel, his parents said.
Just four days prior to his death, on 27 October, Panav had a placement exam scheduled at 12 am, his parents claimed.
“He spoke to us on call at 11 pm the other day and said that he will give his exam and return home in the morning. But he called me a few hours later and said that he missed the exam as he overslept. I went and picked him up from campus at 3 am as he was extremely upset,” Rakesh told The Quint.
“The placement process was one of the main reasons why Panav was stressed. The exams take place for over two hours in the night at 12 am. Where is the time for these children to sleep if you have an exam at 12 am and then you have to attend class at 9 am?” claimed Rakesh.
