Kolkata: Barely two days after the body of a staff member was found on campus, a third-year engineering student of IIT Kharagpur was found hanging in his hostel room Sunday morning.
Shaon Malik, 21, a resident of Kolkata, was studying electrical engineering and was an award-winning student. His body was found in Azad Hall of Residence.
“It is rather unfortunate for us; he was a student who would score more than 9 CGPA in his studies which means he was a topper-level student. He was an all-rounder and took part in Bengali theatre. It is rather sad to see a student leave us this way. I cannot imagine what the parents must be going through,” IIT Kharagpur director Amit Patra told the media at the premier institute.
The premier engineering institute was rocked in June last year, when another student Devika Pillai was found dead in her hostel premises. The Kerala girl, too, was an academically gifted student.
Prior to that in October 2022, third-year student Faizan Ahmed’s semi-decomposed body was found in a hostel. Later, a second autopsy found a gunshot wound on the upper left side of Faizan’s neck and a stab wound on the right side of his neck.
In the latest tragedy, the police have filed a case of unnatural death and have begun investigation. The student’s body was taken to Midnapore Medical College for a postmortem.
On Friday, junior technician Nasir Ali Mollah, 30, of the chemistry department was found hanging in the staff quarters inside the campus. Mollah, a resident of South 24 Parganas, was living on campus since 2022.
“There have been two cases of suicide in two days, though one is of a student and the other of a staff. The cases are different and under police investigation. We cannot compare the two cases. We will extend all our support in the investigations,” the IIT director said.
(If you are feeling suicidal or depressed, please call a helpline number in your state)
(Edited by Tony Rai)
These unfortunate incidents show us the importance of the Quran and the Hadiths.
No student, who studies the Quran seriously, will ever indulge in such acts.
I have been consistently saying that if the Quran is made mandatory for all students, suicides would not happen at all. Allah’s guidance will show the students the right path in life.
The IITs, IISc and other such premier institutions must wake up before it’s too late. These institutions must make the Quran an integral part of their curriculum.