New Delhi: A 20-year-old student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has died by suicide at his home in Shahdara, police said Wednesday. This marks the third case of a student of IIT-Delhi dying by suicide this year.
The BTech student, who was pursuing his degree in Textile Engineering, is survived by his parents and a younger brother. According to IIT-Delhi officials, he was a resident of Vindhyachal Hostel and also served as the cultural secretary and vice-captain of the hostel’s basketball team last year.
“The student was found dead at his home by family members late Tuesday night. We have initiated inquest proceedings and are in touch with IIT-Delhi officials,” a senior police officer told ThePrint on condition of anonymity.
No suicide note has been recovered by the police yet, it is learnt.
According to police sources, a prima facie investigation suggests that the student had been suffering from depression ever since his friend died by suicide in September.
His family, they added, was aware of his condition.
In September this year, Anil Kumar (20) had died by suicide in his hostel room at IIT-Delhi. Kumar was pursuing BTech in Mathematics and Computing and was reportedly under pressure as he wasn’t able to complete his credits to secure his degree. Media reports suggest that he was given an extension to clear his exams.
Earlier, in July, another student, Ayush Ashna — who was pursuing BTech in Mathematics and Computing at IIT-Delhi — had died by suicide.
Both Kumar and Ashna belonged to the Scheduled Castes (SC) community. At the time of his death, police had said that Ashna was disturbed over his academic performance.
Minister of State for Education (MoS) Subhas Sarkar had told Parliament earlier this year that as many as 33 students from various IITs, 24 from the various National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and four from the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have died by suicide since 2018.
If you are feeling suicidal or depressed, please call a helpline number in your state.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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