Another IIT Madras Student Found Dead, 4th Suspected Suicide This Year

(Photo: IIT-M Website)

(Trigger Warning: Mentions of suicide. If you feel suicidal or know someone in distress, please reach out to them with kindness and call these numbers of local emergency services, helplines, and mental health NGOs.)

A second-year student was found dead in his hostel room at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras on Friday, 21 April. This is suspected to be a case of death by suicide, the police told NDTV.

The deceased, a 20-year-old Chemical Engineering student, was from Madhya Pradesh. If further investigation confirms this to be suicide, this will be the fourth such case in the college this year.

His hostel room was found locked from inside for hours on Friday morning by his friends. When he did not answer their calls, they informed the hostel warden, who then called the police.

Meanwhile, IIT-Madras has said that it is "deeply anguished" at the untimely death of an undergraduate student.

"The Institute has lost one of its own, and the professional community has lost a good student. The reason for the demise is unknown. Police are investigating. The parents have been informed," the institute's statement read.

"The Institute expresses its heartfelt condolence and shares the grief of the friends and family of the deceased student. The Institute requests everyone to respect the privacy of the student's family at this difficult juncture. IIT Madras is taking all possible measures to proactively identify and help students under stress. We will continue to keep strengthening these measures," it added.

What's Happening at IIT-Madras? A 31-year-old PhD student at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M), Sachin Kumar Jain, was reportedly found dead on 31 March, 2023. Jain had returned home early from the institute, and after sending messages to his friends about not being well, he took the extreme step, the police said, according to a report in The Hindu.

On 14 March, V Vaipu Pushpak Sree Sai, 20, a third-year B.Tech student, was found dead in his hostel room. A month earlier, a research scholar named Stephen Sunny died by suicide, The Hindu reported. 

After the two suicides were reported at IIT-Madras, The Quint spoke to students representatives from the institute and reported that an inquiry committee has been formed to look into such incidents.

After that, Sachin Kumar Jain, a native of West Bengal, allegedly died by suicide at his rental home in Velachery.

These incidentc have sent shock waves among the students and families who allege that these cases indicate a serious problem plaguing the institute.