Hyderabad:A final-year Telugu student at IIT Ropar, Marimesi Arun, died by suicide just three months before he was set to graduate. Belonging to a Dalit farming family from Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, Arun passed away on March 21 at PGIMER Chandigarh, a week after after his suicide attempt.Arun was a student of metallurgical and materials engineering and had a GPA of 5.6. He had reportedly attempted to take his life six months ago also, close associates revealed.Little was known to classmates or faculty until much later. A post now going viral on Reddit reads: “The attempt happened on Friday and we got to know yesterday (Tuesday)… both these attempts were well covered up and hushed by the administration.”Arun’s suicide letter, written in Telugu, mentioned depression, anxiety over his future, and academic struggles. He allegedly also raised language and lack of placement as a concern with those close to him. Behind the tragedy, however, lay a larger and more pressing concern. Dalit students at IITs have long reported isolation, subtle discrimination, and a relentless pressure to prove merit without the support systems needed to navigate elite academic spaces.Members of the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC) from an IIT pointed to a culture that cloaks caste exclusion in the language of meritocracy. “It’s not identified as caste discrimination because it’s packaged as merit discrimination. But that’s exactly what’s happening,” the group said. “Language becomes a form of cultural capital. When your English or confidence falters, it becomes another reason to treat you as less.”They added, “This is not an isolated event. The IIT system prides itself on being a merit-based utopia, but that very idea ignores the historical and social capital students from privileged castes inherit. Rank is the first marker, your name the second. Placements become the final blow.”The Student Council denied allegations of administrative neglect. “The director, dean and institute supported Arun financially and medically. His parents were brought to Chandigarh. He had depression, and that triggered this tragedy. People were informed,” they said.The Sadar police station in Ropar confirmed that the investigation is ongoing.
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