At least 72 student suicide incidents have been reported in various government, private schools and colleges across the state since 2020, said Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi in Odisha Assembly on Monday. The Chief Minister revealed that denial of phone usage in the school hostel, issues arising out of love affairs, and depression related to examination and love affairs as major causes forcing students to commit suicide. Academic stress, homesickness and parental restriction on visiting home, domestic conflict, psychological problems, mental imbalance and harassment by fellow students, school and college authorities, etc. as other important reasons responsible for student suicides. The state government has recently revealed that as many as 26 students have died in the residential schools governed by the ST and SC Development Department of Odisha government since July 2024. The recent suicide of a Nepali female student in the KIIT University in Bhubaneswar exposed harassment by accused fellow students and the negligence by the authorities of the educational institutions. The students alleged that the private university did not give any heed to the repeated complaints lodged by the victim girl regarding the harassment by the accused.