A third-year student at NLSIU Bangalore, Kanishk Bharti, has taken his own life over the weekend, making this the second suicide at India’s oldest national law school a little over two years.
A student bar association (SBA) representative commented today: “The entire student body is deeply saddened by his untimely demise. To have one of our 500-odd family leave us in this manner is unimaginably distressing.
“Our prayers and condolences are with the friends and family who are coping with the tragic loss.”
A condolence meeting was taking place at college earlier today.
In November 2016, another third year student at NLSIU Bangalore had reportedly committed suicide. She had been suffering from a long and painful illness.
India has the unfortunate distinction of one of the highest suicide rates in the world, especially amongst students and young people, for whom suicide is the most common cause of death.
Law schools have not been immune. In 2018, a student had killed themselves at NLU Jabalpur, NLU Delhi saw a suicide attempt. In 2016, one Amity Law School Delhi student had committee suicide.
NUJS Kolkata saw a suicide in 2012 purportedly over exam pressures, resulting in the hiring of a psychotherapist on campus.
The 2009 judicial review of NLSIU, had also raised suicides as an issue, albeit in a rather preachy way: “The young minds, in the absence of beneficent control and interactive relationship with the teachers, have become an easy prey to all sorts of evil practices of smoking, drinking, drug abuse, sex, etc., resulting into terrible stress, dreadful depression, at least two cases of suicides and a dozen of attempted suicides, and even a murder!”
It may be easy to blame the high-pressure and highly-competitive environment at elite residential law universities and a lack of adequate social and institutional support, but the problems and causes are likely to be more complex.
The NLS SBA representative said today: “We are working on the mental health facilities on campus for students to seek help in coping with stress and sadness that could be debilitating.”
Outgoing vice chancellor (VC) Venkata Rao has not responded to several of our requests for comment or a statement.
If you or someone you know needs help, please consider contacting any of a number of Indian NGOs dealing with suicide prevention listed here.
Photo by Smuconlaw.
Comments
That said, a poor sex ratio can hardly be cited as a reason for suicide. By that logic, women in ladies' colleges should be dropping dead like flies. And the rules there are generally more stifling as well.
The very fact that the student's body was found in a decomposed state (as reported in ToI) attests to the fact that he wasn't missed by his peers. It paints a story of tragic loneliness.
Perhaps NLS will benefit from some diversity, foundational training for those who don't "fit in", and sensitisation of other students (and staff).
I will stop here and ask a few questions, which the SBA can consider lest they wish to avoid NUJS mistakes.
1. What about the faculty, starting right from the VC; and the admin staff as well? Why will they not undergo periodic psychological evaluation and counselling? After all we know domestic troubles, money issues etc can have unhinging effects and students suffer as collateral.
2. Why are counsellors, the shrink who simply gets paid to fulfill the checklist - the univ did something? Is this person empowered to speak truth to power? After all NLU administrations are structured and peopled to preserve status quo and anyone who is not formally trained in law (and often the institutional affiliation becomes unduly important) is seen as a cretin by law school administrators
3. If a thorough review is done we are likely to find that NLUs despite all the branding exemplify: those who can't. teach. If we have such frustrated souls (maybe 7th CPC will finally give them a quantum of solace) to start with, and then their own unresolved love/sex lives, domestic troubles, money stuff etc - we have a recipe for disaster
4. Sure NLU administrations should be student-centric. But why only have students under scrutiny? Will not be a bad idea to have all the students under periodic psychological evaluation. But what if the troubles run deeper - unresolved or touchy parental, family etc issues? How do we go there and how do we avoid the weaponizing of those issues by NLUs to arm twist. Eg, at NUJS, the Registrar (and her supporters) has a penchant for trying to humiliate and shame the parents for the perceived wrongs of the students; moral policing etc. HNLU and RGNUL VCs promoted this as an institutional culture. Most other NLUs are no different
5. Will the NLUs treat the counsellors with respect? I have often heard the NUJS shrink grumble that the admin couldn't care less and she is just an avoidable expense. Also she has little clue on how NUJS works. But the point is that if a qualified and experienced counsellor were to suggest meaningful, including unconventional steps that an NLU were to take at a structural level, will the administration give those a serious thought?
6. It is an uphill task and it starts with a transformative change in institutional culture, which irrespective of the NLU, is built on arrogance, greed, pettiness, opacity, obfuscation, contempt and a primal fear of change that students represent. Unfortunately, the governing bodies are also full of such rotten apples.
With every passing year between law school and now, it becomes more apparent to me that very little of that experience matters now.
If you are a law student and you are reading this, that is all I really want to tell you. Law school is a small blip in what will be a long and interesting life. Everyone has their own story and their unique path. There are ups and downs, and if you feel like the downs are constant, there is no harm in getting help. There is plenty of it available if you are willing to ask for it.
Shows wisdom. Good job.
Looking back, a lot of things that caused so much politics and heartburn, and seemed like a matter of life and death are trivial and quite unnecessary. SBA elections, committee spots, moot offerings, hostel committees politics, intra-batch rivalry over nonsensical issues. None of these things are worth losing sleep, friendship or a healthy lifestyle.
The excessive focus on CV building and "success" did come at a high cost. The cost of creating meaningful friendships (since either the culture was too cut throat or simply because it gave people no time for it) and also by preventing some real learning and falling in love with the law.
A word of advice - no one cares about your law school CV, even one year into the profession. Five debate wins? Doesn't matter. SDGM convenor? No one cares. The only things that remain - 1. what you learn and 2. your friendships - both of which are highly compatible with good mental health, IMHO. Go back to the basics, law schoolites!
Spent more time travelling India instead of trying to do internships to pad my CV.
Seconding 3.2.1 - only mention of law school on my CV after all these years is the fact that I went there.
I never needed a Gold Star from CGPA obsessed Pillai to tell me I am good at Corporate. Seriously guys, try to enjoy your time there.
Students end up in law school in India at a much younger age compared to their American counterparts with far less clarity as to who they are and what they want out of life. Most of them will naturally gravitate towards what is considered the most popular option. This is not specific to law, but any profession in any university. Money talks.
If this is difficult to digest I am sorry that such a high pressure career is not meant for you.
Such drab statement without any life can only come from an over stressed professional who will build his career, sadly ,without experiencing life and joy ever.
As far as students are concerned, the most appalling part is that no one missed him for that length of time. This just means he probably had no friends and maybe was rooming alone??? Not to mention he probably had no one to speak to and unburden himself. There is a bad overall tendency to ignore certain people in the class/hostel (both boys and girls), who may not be cool or good looking or come from a semi urban/rural background and can't relate to the people around them so easily. This just adds to their frustration and makes them more and more lonely despite being surrounded by people in that small campus. Not to mention that young kids in college tend to be cruel and make fun of such outcasts and push them further into their shell. Having a friend or two to support you when you are down can make all the difference in such cases.
Kindly edit your post to remove the fact of death of NLU Jodhpur student Vikrant Nagaich from this article on suicide and also delete the original article calling his death a suicide. It is incorrect and you know it. Jst less than a month ago, the High Court passed an order probing into his murder, as the same has been officially concluded by the CBI, police and High Court.
https://barandbench.com/rajasthan-hc-status-report-death-nlu-jodhpur-student/
This is highly irresponsible journalism and we have messaged you multiple times over this. You did not even get the name of the deceased student right. It’s Vikrant Nagaich and not Vikram Nagech, and he was murdered.