India’s student protests intensified after the education minister resigned in late July following weeks of demonstrations led by the Cockroach Janta party. The protests followed repeated examination cancellations and question-paper leaks, including a leak affecting this year’s medical entrance exam.
The National Crime Records Bureau recorded 14,488 student suicides in India in 2024, up from 8,068 in 2014—an increase of roughly 80%. The source material says failure in examinations is listed as the leading cause of student suicides after family problems.
At a glance:
- Student suicides: 8,068 in 2014; 14,488 in 2024.
- Medical entrance exam: sat on 3 May, then cancelled for a resit after a leak was reported on 12 May.
- Anshika Pandey: 20, from Delhi, and taking the medical entrance exam for a third time.
- Pradeep Kumar Mahich: 22, from Rajasthan, and taking the medical entrance exam for a fourth time.
| Student | Pressure described by family | |
|---|---|---|
| Anshika Pandey, Delhi | Third attempt at the medical entrance exam | A cancelled exam followed by the prospect of another attempt |
| Sufi Shaheen, Delhi | Preparing for a second attempt at the engineering entrance exam | Stress over syllabus changes and fear of not qualifying |
| Pradeep Kumar Mahich, Rajasthan | Fourth attempt at the medical entrance exam | Family spending on tutoring, accommodation and exam preparation |
| S Anitha, Tamil Nadu | Seeking medical admission after school success | The national exam used a syllabus different from the one she had studied |
Families describe pressure beyond the exam hall
The Guardian spoke to four families who said education-system mismanagement and examination scandals contributed to their children’s deaths. Their accounts describe students balancing repeated attempts, tutoring costs, changing syllabuses and expectations of lifting their families out of poverty.
Related coverage: What lies ahead for Indian student protests following Modi’s promise on exam leaks?.
Anshika Pandey, 20, from Delhi, had hoped to become a doctor and studied for more than 12 hours a day while working part-time. After sitting the medical entrance exam on 3 May, she learned on 12 May that it had been leaked for the second year in a row and would be rescheduled. She died two days later.
The cost of repeated attempts
Pradeep Kumar Mahich, 22, from Rajasthan, was sitting the medical entrance exam for a fourth time. His father, Rajesh Kumar, said he had sold farmland and taken a loan of 11 lakh rupees to fund preparation, while paying monthly expenses and annual tutoring fees.
Sufi Shaheen, 19, from Delhi, was preparing for a second attempt at the national engineering entrance exam. Her mother said changes to the syllabus by the National Testing Agency left Shaheen unable to sleep for days and fearful that she would not qualify.
More context: Sonam Wangchuk forcibly hospitalised amid protest against corruption in India’s exam system.
A longer dispute over the medical entrance system
S Anitha, 17, from Tamil Nadu, had achieved perfect marks in school physics and chemistry and wanted to become a doctor. She could not meet the medical entrance cut-off after studying a different syllabus, according to her brother, Manirathinam.
Tamil Nadu had criticised the nationwide exam and was exempted from it in 2016, but not in 2017, when Anitha sat it. After the supreme court ruled on 22 August 2017 that medical-school admissions would rely only on the national exam, Anitha died on 1 September. Her case prompted protests in Tamil Nadu and Delhi; her brother now runs a free library and education centre in her name.
What protesters and families want
Families described mixed feelings as they watched the protests. Some welcomed the possibility that future students might be spared similar experiences, while others questioned why action had taken so long.
Also read: Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Resigns After Weeks of Student Protests.
Pradeep’s father said the minister’s resignation brought relief but called for a proper investigation. Anitha’s brother supports making examinations state-run rather than centrally administered, arguing that not everyone can afford the tutoring fees associated with the medical entrance exam.
Questions readers ask
What happened to the medical entrance exam mentioned in the protests?
Students sat the exam on 3 May. On 12 May, Anshika Pandey’s family learned that it had been leaked for the second year in a row and that there would be a resit.
Where can someone in crisis seek help?
Samaritans can be reached on 116 123 in the UK and Ireland. In the US, call or text 988; in Australia, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Other international services are listed at befrienders.org.
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