Category World News

This is the moment an Israeli air attack hit a residential area in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah but 700,000 people have been forcibly displaced since the war with Iran began.

Nashik, India – As Sanjay Nerkar returns from his office in Nashik, a small town in India’s Maharashtra state, he waits almost instinctively for a phone call – one he knows will never come.

For nearly a decade, while his son, Varad Nerker, lived away from home for studies, he called his father at dusk.

“No matter how busy he was, he would say, papa, bas awaaz sunni thi [I just wanted to hear your voice],” recalls the 55-year-old government employee.

That routine between the son and the father broke two years ago.

In 2022, Varad achieved the dream he had spoken about since childhood: Admission to one of the 23 Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) schools across India, including the seven legacy IITs, established before 2000 and seen as the most prestigious.

Varad joined the master’s programme at IIT-Delhi – one of the original seven in the national capital.

“He didn’t get a BTech there, but he refused to give up,” Nerkar says. When the MTech result came, the family distributed sweets. “It felt like the dream belonged to all of us.”

And then his voice breaks. “If I had known what IIT-Delhi would take away from me, I would never have sent him,” he told Al Jazeera, his voice softening. “Oh, Varad… Why did you leave so early?”

On February 15, 2024, Varad died by what IIT-Delhi termed a suicide – one among 65 student suicides across the IITs and the eighth at IIT-Delhi since 2021.

Varad was 26. Only days earlier, he had told his mother about intense academic stress and alleged pressure from his supervisor.

Why IITs hold weight

In India, admission to an IIT symbolises academic excellence and social prestige.

In 2025, about 1.3 million high school graduates took the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main, a computer-based screening of candidates conducted by India’s National Testing Agency twice a year.

Only about 250,000 qualify for the next round, called JEE Advanced, the final round of screening to compete for only 18,000 Bachelors in Technology (BTech) seats at the IITs, which are allocated based on rank, category, and preferences.

For MTech programmes, 800,000 to 1,000,000 candidates appear for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) annually, with about 8,500 securing admission – an average of one in 72 for BTech and one in 117 for MTech courses.

The number of PhD seats at IITs varies each year and depends on open slots with a professor.

Over the decades, the IITs have produced prominent figures such as Google CEO Sundar Pichai and IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, along with more than 35 Indian billionaires – and even several leading politicians, writers and journalists.

According to 6figr.com, an AI-driven career data platform, the average salary of an IIT graduate working in the United States ranges between $216,000 and $235,000 annually, nearly four times the national average salary in the US.

Dheeraj Singh is the founder of Global IIT-IIM Alumni Support Group, which not only helps the students with placements, but also works on their mental wellbeing and supporting the bereaved families. IIM refers to the Indian Institute of Management, another premier chain of state-run schools.

“Being an IITian is not just a tag; it brings respect to the entire family,” Singh told Al Jazeera.

Yet, there is another side to the IIT story, mostly overlooked, but one that keeps recurring with an alarming frequency.

‘They took my only son away’

Despite their reputation for academic excellence and lucrative careers, life at the IITs is also often marked by intense pressure and relentless competition.

While the institutes highlight record placements every year, many graduates are left without jobs. In 2024, about 38 percent of IIT graduates went unplaced, according to the institutes’ data – a reality experts say is often overlooked to preserve institutional prestige.

“IITs publicise top placements but seldom talk about the other side. Nearly half the students struggle during placements,” said Singh.

Expectations, he explains, are enormous. “When academic pressure combines with placement stress, the situation becomes extremely serious.”

Singh recalled a student at IIT-Kanpur – another top-seven campus – who contacted his support group fearing unemployment: “He said, ‘If I don’t get placed, I will end my life.’ Despite our efforts, he later died by suicide,” said Singh.

According to data shared by Singh, compiled from government officials and various IITs, 160 student suicide deaths were recorded across the IITs in the past two decades – 69 of them in the last five years.

Among them was Darshan Solanki, a bright 20-year-old who had dreamt of an IIT degree since his childhood.

His father, Ramesh, a plumber in Ahmedabad, the largest city in the western Gujarat state, says Darshan cleared the IIT entrance test in 2022. But he did not get his preferred branch of engineering and tried again the next year. In 2023, he joined the chemical engineering course at IIT-Bombay, as the institute in India’s financial capital is still called despite the city being renamed to Mumbai in 1995.

“That was the happiest day of my life. I cried, and Darshan told me, ‘Papa, I have done it. Our life now will become easier.’ He wanted me to leave plumbing once he got a good job,” Solanki told Al Jazeera. “I had never imagined he would not even finish his studies.”

Solanki said his son Darshan often spoke about being mocked by the people at IIT-Bombay – including his roommate – over his caste background. Most Hindus are categorised into four “varnas” (classes), a rigid social hierarchy that defines their social position and profession, often leading to discrimination and violence against lower-ranked groups.

The Solankis are Dalits, who fall in the least privileged caste hierarchy and were considered “untouchable” until a law banned the practice.

“We belong to a lower caste. Why should that matter? The humiliation affected my son deeply, and then came the academic pressure. How can a 20-year-old bear both mental harassment and studies?” Solanki asked.

He alleged the IIT authorities blamed his son for not coping with academic pressure.

“They said he wasn’t good enough, but how could that be when he had cracked the IIT twice? He was brilliant, my best son,” he said as he broke into tears. “They took my only son away from me.”

Singh of the Global IIT-IIM Alumni Support Group agreed that caste-based discrimination remains prevalent at the IITs and that many reported suicides involve students from marginalised communities.

Government data supports the concern: Of the 122 students at the IITs, IIMs, central universities and other federally-funded institutes who died by suicide between 2014 and 2021, 24 belonged to what are officially referred to as Scheduled Castes, three belonged to the Scheduled Tribes category, and 41 were members of other backward castes (OBCs) – a total of 68 students, or about 55 percent of the total suicides reported at those campuses, despite a lower representation of students from the least privileged caste groups.

‘Power imbalance’

Experts and students at the IITs have also repeatedly flagged a power imbalance, mainly between PhD scholars and their supervisors. Fellowships, which, among other things, mean financial assistance, stop after five years, forcing students to finish within that period.

“When funding ends, usually around the age of 30, the uncertainty becomes deeply distressing,” Sushant*, a doctoral student at IIT-Kanpur, told Al Jazeera. “The supervisor controls whether the thesis is approved, making us entirely dependent on one person. Many supervisors are toxic, and this traumatises students and can push them towards suicide.”

Recently, IIT authorities announced that PhD scholars unable to complete their thesis within seven years could face termination of their admission and their PhD candidature withdrawn.

The most recent suicide at IIT-Kanpur involved PhD scholar Ramswroop Ishram, who in January this year died by suicide at the hostel where he lived with his wife and two-year-old daughter.

Students protested the same night, asking for explanations from the authorities. But no one came to meet them. “We want accountability,” said Sushant.

A similar case occurred at IIT-Madras in March 2023 when PhD scholar Sachin Kumar Jain died by suicide.

An investigation found that academic pressure from his supervisor contributed to the death. The concerned faculty member was suspended, and no suicides have been reported at the campus since.

Singh called the action commendable, but lamented that other IITs failed to follow suit, highlighting widespread accountability gaps despite a rising number of suicides.

Al Jazeera made several phone calls and sent emails to the IIT authorities, but did not get any response.

Fixing accountability

S Ravindra Bhat, a former Supreme Court judge, is the chairman of a National Task Force on Mental Health, which was set up a year ago on the top court’s directions to address mental health concerns, suicide prevention, and to create a “uniform, enforceable framework” for student wellbeing in higher educational institutions, including the IITs.

He told Al Jazeera the situation was “deeply troubling”, noting that his task force has received thousands of complaints and collected preliminary data that is yet to be placed before the authorities and the court. He said the suicide crisis has a structural dimension and is partly rooted in broader social realities but largely within the institutions.

Singh said the IITs “can and should do far more” to prevent such deaths, accusing the tech schools of often distancing themselves from responsibility after a suicide, which does little to reduce the frequency of such incidents. He noted two common responses from the IITs: If a student was doing well academically, the death was blamed on “personal issues” such as tensions with the family or other relationships. If the student was struggling, the suicide was attributed to an inability to handle competition.

In both cases, he said, accountability is sidestepped.

Singh said a large number of suicides take place around examinations, pointing towards academic pressure and stress as contributing factors. Rather than shifting blame, he urged institutes to step in and work on preventive solutions.

Experts say suicides at the IITs are preventable and can be reduced through timely intervention.

Aqsa Sheikh, a doctor and a member of the National Task Force on Student Suicide Prevention, told Al Jazeera that while the IITs have appointed mental health counsellors, their efforts fall short of what is required.

“There has to be greater accountability and proactive intervention. Students under severe stress are unlikely to seek help on their own. Institutes must identify them and make the first move. I am not saying they are doing nothing, but much more is expected,” she said.

Singh agreed, adding that his small support group has counselled hundreds of IIT students on the verge of breakdown due to academic and personal stress.

Beneath the scorching sun of the Gulf, the rhythmic hum of millions of barrels of crude oil rushing through subsea pipelines vibrates against ancient coral rock.

Here, the celebrated Iranian writer Jalal Al-e-Ahmad once stood, gazing at the isolated shores, and famously dubbed the landmass the “orphan pearl of the Persian Gulf”.

Today, this 22-square-kilometre (8.5-square-mile) coral outcrop in the Bushehr province is widely known among Iranians as the “Forbidden Island”.

Shrouded in intense secrecy and guarded by the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), it is a place where entry is strictly restricted to those with official security clearances.

Yet, beyond the imposing steel fences and military watchtowers lies a pristine landscape where millennia of diverse human history quietly coexist with the beating heart of Iran’s modern energy empire.

The petroleum nerve centre

Located 55km (34 miles) northwest of the Bushehr port and 15 nautical miles (equivalent to about 28km) from the Iranian mainland, Kharg Island is the undisputed economic backbone of Iran.

The island processes 90 percent of the nation’s total oil exports, handling approximately 950 million barrels every year.

Measuring just 8km (5 miles) in length and 4 to 5km (2.5 to 3 miles) in width, its deep surrounding waters provide a natural geographic advantage. This depth allows colossal supertankers to dock safely and load crude destined primarily for Asian markets, with China standing as the leading importer.

According to the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum, the island’s facilities act as the vital nerve centre for the sector. The terminal receives crude from three major offshore fields – Aboozar, Forouzan, and Dorood – which is then transported via a complex network of subsea pipelines to onshore processing facilities before being stored or shipped to global markets.

Despite facing years of international sanctions that periodically stifled production, Iran has aggressively expanded the island’s infrastructure.

In May 2025, S&P Global Commodity Insights reported that Tehran added two million barrels to the terminal’s storage capacity by rehabilitating tanks 25 and 27, each capable of holding one million barrels.

Historically, the loading capacity of these continuously upgraded terminals has reached a staggering maximum of seven million barrels per day, though current national exports hover around 1.6 million barrels daily, in addition to managing production for the domestic market.

Empires and exiles

The island’s strategic maritime value made it a coveted prize for conquerors long before the discovery of hydrocarbons. While some mistakenly link the name “Kharg” to the ancient inland city of Charax Spasinou – established by Alexander the Great near modern-day Basra at the confluence of the Tigris and Karkheh rivers – archaeological records confirm they are unrelated.

Through the centuries, the island’s name has evolved in local dialects and European maps, recorded variously as Kharg, Khark, Kharaj, and Kharej. Its natural freshwater springs and prime location made it an essential maritime crossroads, facilitating the export of agricultural goods and minerals.

During the European colonial era, the Portuguese first seized control of Kharg along with other Gulf islands. By the mid-18th century, Dutch ambitions took root.

In 1752, the Dutch Baron Kniphausen secured an agreement with Mir Naser Al-Zaabi, the ruler of Bandar Rig, to establish a trading post. The following year, the Dutch East India Company built a heavily garrisoned fort to protect its interests.

However, this colonial foothold was short-lived; after years of mounting tensions, Mir Muhanna, the governor of Bandar Rig, successfully attacked the fortress and definitively expelled the Dutch forces in January 1766.

In the 20th century, the island’s narrative took a dark turn when Reza Shah Pahlavi, who was Shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941, transformed it into a remote exile for political prisoners, leaving its broader potential entirely unexploited. The modern petroleum era truly began to take shape after 1958.

Shedding its grim penal past, Kharg was selected to become a huge crude export hub, with its new deep-water terminal officially commissioned and sending its first major shipment in August 1960. As offshore fields were discovered in the 1960s, Kharg eclipsed the Abadan port, drawing huge tankers to its deep-water berths.

Echoes of a diverse past

The island’s modern industrial facade conceals a profound archaeological wealth. Evidence of human settlement dates back to the end of the second millennium BC, spanning the Elamite, Achaemenid, and Sassanid eras.

Among its most revered sites is the Mir Mohammad Shrine, built in the late 7th century AH, featuring two conical domes constructed from rock and mud.

Nearby lies the Mir Aram Shrine, housing a 12-metre (39ft) stone bearing Islamic inscriptions and two torches believed to date back to the Achaemenid period. Locals associate this site with Mir Aram, a descendant of the Quranic and biblical prophet Noah.

The island is a testament to religious and cultural plurality. An ancient heritage cemetery contains a remarkable mosaic of faiths, featuring:

• Zoroastrian burial sites;
• Christian graves;
• Sassanid-era tombs

Other historic landmarks dotting the island include the remains of the 1747 Dutch Fort, the Dutch Garden, the Kharg Orchard, an old railway line, Islamic cemeteries, and a deeply significant Achaemenid inscription. This coral rock engraving, measuring 85 by 116cm (33 by 46 inches), is celebrated as one of the oldest archaeological records explicitly mentioning the “Persian Gulf”.

Kharg Island bears the heavy scars of its geopolitical prominence, having endured relentless and devastating bombardments during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s before being painstakingly rebuilt by Iranian authorities.

Today, as geopolitical tensions repeatedly threaten the region’s waterways, the island remains heavily militarised, keeping tourists at bay and inadvertently preserving its pristine ecological character.