Trigger Warning: Attempt to Suicide, violence and death.
120 minutes, 120 questions, 5 sections, mock papers, and an ‘All India Rank’ (AIR) is what every Common Law Admissions Test (CLAT) aspirant in India concerns themselves with for months while also coping with the pressures of board examinations, familial and self expectations and secure career prospects. It is after a student agrees to exhaust themselves financially, physically and emotionally that they become eligible to participate in the race of competitive examinations in India.
‘A day in the life of a law student’ (GNLU Edition)
According to the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024 data, the Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) situated in India’s ‘GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tech) – City‘, that is Gandhinagar, is ranked 8th under the category of Law. Out of over sixty-eight thousand candidates who appeared for CLAT in 2024, those who secured an AIR under 400, for General Category, could get an admission in this ‘prestigious’ university.
Out of over sixty-eight thousand candidates who appeared for CLAT in 2024, those who secured an AIR under 400, for General Category, could get an admission in this ‘prestigious’ university.
Abiding by the legalese, a reasonable expectation then arises, that if one does secure a seat in this institution, they shall, at the very least, live to reap the benefits of that admission.
GNLU and it’s faltering administration has been a recurring news story ever since the Honourable High Court of Gujarat took sou motu cognisance after incidents of rape, homophobia, discrimination and molestation on campus were anonymously reported through social media. The absence of an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), as mandated by the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act of 2013, in a legal academic institution highlighted the glaring realities of the ‘formal institutional framework’ of India and it’s ‘excelling universities’.
‘Institutional failure’ refers to the inability of institutions, whether formal or informal, to effectively achieve their intended goals and/or address societal problems. The following section details on a series of missteps, misjudgments and mistakes for which no apology or remedy per se, is enough.
The unforeseen yet, preventable tragedy in GNLU
It is in light of such violations, proceedings and subsequent judicial interventions for reforms that the recent incident of Vansh Gaint, a third year student’s death after attempted suicide due to administrative negligence, lack of medical preparedness and gross mismanagement on the 17th of March 2025, comes as a shock to the student community.
From 11:32 pm, when his friend tried to contact him by repeatedly knocking on his hostel room door, the students started raising concerns about his well-being. Even after sending a video of his feet being visible from a gap under the door, the Boy’s hostel warden, Mr. Yogesh, took no immediate action. As per information sourced from the students Mr. Yogesh had, a few months ago, held Vansh’s jaw tightly and has been previously found to be targeting him without valid reason.
As per information sourced from the students Mr. Yogesh had, a few months ago, held Vansh’s jaw tightly and has been previously found to be targeting him without valid reason.
Given the lack of basic equipment, the students had to kick the door open and were left by themselves to rescue their friend. It was at 12:25 am that the nurse was fetched from the Girl’s Hostel, because the medical room is present there, who proved incompetent to perform a Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and asked the students to do it instead.
As if this was not appalling enough, there were no oxygen cylinders, defibrillator, or first-aid kit available on campus and the administration did not arrange for an ambulance. Vansh was taken to the hospital in a car provided for by the university but no one from the staff or administration, who were present there, accompanied them. Even though the doctors were confident of his recovery, the student passed away in the hospital.
Flouting regulations and band-aid solutions
‘The pain of losing him is only worsened by the thought that had the college authorities acted swiftly and sensitively, and had there been a trained medical professional on campus—someone who could at least administer CPR—maybe there wouldn’t be this unbearable sense of helplessness.‘
This was shared by a close friend of Vansh at GNLU who did not wish to be named fearing the admin and faculty who are, according to another student on campus, responding to the whole situation very ‘vindictively and inhumanly‘.
The classes were suspended and the students protested on campus demanding an independent inquiry, immediate suspension and legal action against the inaction of the hostel warden and the medical staff, implementation of emergency response measures and a permanent framework that details distress response plans to prevent such a tragedy from recurring. It is revolting that despite the High Court’s clear directives, the ICC in GNLU is not representative of the student body and remains ineffective.
It is revolting that despite the High Court’s clear directives, the ICC in GNLU is not representative of the student body and remains ineffective.
Life as a student in GNLU has been extremely challenging when assessed on other parameters such as food, which is complained of being unhygienic with insects having been found in the food and students recurrently falling ill due to widespread illnesses as a result of typhoid, dengue and malaria. From July to August 2024, GNLU was shut down and had shifted to online classes due to millipede infestation in hostel rooms which made living conditions inhospitable.
The preamble of the UGC Guidelines on Safety of Students On and Off Campus of Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) states that a ‘safe, secure and cohesive learning environment is an ineluctable precondition to quality education and research in HEIs‘.
Safeguarding students against attacks, threats and accidents whether man-made or natural is stated as the ‘prime concern‘. Emergency notification system, students counselling system, presence of on-campus medical facilities with ‘at least one ambulance‘ etc. are other mandated provisions in the guidelines.
As per a rough estimate taken from the data sourced from the Consortium of National Law University’s website, a consolidated five year B.A. L.L.B. (Hons.) the program at GNLU, including the tuition and hostel fees, costs about ₹9.32 lakh. This does not account for the various on and off-campus academic, travel, miscellaneous etc. expenses that a student bears.
Legal education is a gruelling pursuit and if the institution fails to provide a bare minimum of what constitutes the the Fundamental Right to Life with Dignity, as enshrined under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, how is a student expected to ‘cope up’, ‘keep up’ and ‘excel’?
The silent epidemic
A report titled, ‘Student Suicides: An Epidemic Sweeping India‘, by IC3 Institute revealed that the annual increase in instances of student suicides have doubled the national average of 2%. National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) 2022 data corroborates with this when it mentions how students account for 10% of the suicide rate in India, up from 8% in 2020. But this is not an isolated case of death by suicide but an attempt to suicide where death could have avoided if it was not for the administration’s sheer lack of readiness and surprisingly, willingness to save the student’s life.
India’s higher educational institutions are pressure cookers further loaded with inadequate mental health support and with an example of GNLU, even basic medical and hospitable living arrangements.
India’s higher educational institutions are pressure cookers further loaded with inadequate mental health support and with an example of GNLU, even basic medical and hospitable living arrangements. The stigma surrounding asking for help and the scare of speaking out against authorities due to the fear of dismissal, partial grading and chastisement, forces a student to stay silenced. The misconception that enrolling into a ‘tier-1’ institution automatically resolves all future problems and paves the way to an affluent and stable life, fails to acknowledge the present. Burdened with the guilt of paying hefty fees to premium institutions, often after already having spent lakhs in preparation to get in, children find it trivial to communicate their concerns to their parents.
It is the institution’s responsibility to provide robust infrastructure, holistic care and support in any manner possible. Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings ranked India as the fourth best represented nation in the world with Indian Institute of Science (IITs) leading the list. However. it is an irony, that IITs also lead in the reported student suicide figures from 2019-2023. Academic pressures are but one of the factors that intersect with other elements such as financial stress, caste/class/gender based discriminations, bullying, marginalisation as a result of gender identity and isolation.
Another friend of Vansh from GNLU who did not wish to be named recalls, ‘He was one of the most active and visible members of our batch—someone who effortlessly connected people, always had a story to tell, and carried with him a depth of knowledge and culture that enriched every conversation‘. The students are still in shock that someone as ‘well-rounded, social, and diligent Vansh could take this tragic step‘.
Expecting ‘academic excellence’ from a student who enrolls into an institution that is held in high esteem only by the virtue of its ‘institutional prominence’ is damaging and ignorant of us as a society. With universities, particularly a premium National Law University, conveniently flouting all rules, regulations and guidelines, without accountability, one can only imagine the nightmarish state of other universities and institutions all across the country.
The agony felt by the students of GNLU, the insurmountable suffering of his parents and the severe mental distress caused especially to those who were with Vansh in his last moments, is unmeasurable. There is no ‘just-compensation’ for this loss. What there is, is stringent legal action, punishment and reformation. It is with hope, that this call for action and demand for justice does not stay limited to the student community and it becomes the concern of the nation.
