IIT-Madras student dies by suicide in hostel, 4th case in three months

An undergraduate student of the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-Madras) allegedly died by suicide on Friday, police said, marking the fourth such incident at the institute in three months.

A police officer at Kotturpuram police station, where a case of unnatural death was registered, said a purported suicide note recovered from the 20-year-old student’s hostel room said he took the extreme step over a relationship.

“We have recovered a suicide note in which he has written about ending his life over a romantic relation,” the officer said, seeking anonymity.

The student is from Maharashtra and was a second year B-Tech student at the department of chemical engineering. The incident comes just days after the IIT council met in Delhi and discussed possible steps to help students and provide support.

The suicide came to light after the student’s friends noticed his room locked for several hours. They informed the hostel warden who alerted the police, the officer said. The police arrived and broke open the door and found him dead, the officer said.

“The body was taken for autopsy and a preliminary investigation is underway on the IIT Madras campus,” a second officer said, also seeking anonymity.

In a statement, the institute said the student’s parents were informed about the incident.

“The Institute has lost one of its own...IIT Madras is taking all possible measures to proactively identify and help students under stress. We will continue to keep strengthening these measures,” the statement said.

The incident came a day after IIT-M director V Kamakoti said the institute launched a happiness website and is conducting wellness sessions for students. The initiative came against the backdrop of a rise in suicide cases on campus, which Kamakoti said, were linked to financial stress, personal reasons, academic pressure and health issues.

A PhD student of the institute from Tamil Nadu had died by suicide on March 31. On March 14, a student from Andhra Pradesh allegedly died by suicide at the hostel. Likewise, on February 14, a post-graduate student died by suicide and another made a similar attempt by consuming pills but was rescued.

Similar cases have also been reported from other IITs, most prominently from IIT-Bombay, where an 18-year-old Dalit student died by suicide on February 12.

At the IIT council meeting earlier this week, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, at a meeting of IIT Council, asked all the 23 premier institutes to provide a robust support system to students.

A senior official at the education ministry said: “The ministry will look into the matter”.