LPU Suicide: Had To Quit NIT After Backlog, LPU Says Student Had Personal Issues

In a purported suicide note, the student names the NIT director, Professor Prasad Krishna, for “emotionally manipulating” him into quitting NIT. 

(Photo: Vibhushita Singh/The Quint) 

Over 24 hours after a student died by suicide at Lovely Professional University (LPU), Punjab, the university clarified that the 21-year-old was previously studying at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Calicut, Kerala, where he was facing “personal issues.” 

In a purported suicide note, the student names the NIT director, Professor Prasad Krishna, for “emotionally manipulating” him into quitting NIT. “I regret my decision so much, I am being a burden to everyone. I am sorry but this is it,” he said in the purported note.

The student, identified as Agin S Dileep, died by suicide on the evening of Tuesday, 20 September. He was from Kerala.

Jaspreet Singh, DSP Phagwara, stated that prima facie the student was having some "personal issues," as has been suggested by the suicide note left by the deceased.

The Quint spoke to his classmate, who said that he had joined LPU only in August and that he was not very happy about the move as he had to start from scratch. 

Soon after the death, student protests broke out in the LPU campus, with students demanding justice for him. The institute said that the protests broke out because there was a "lack of information among fellow students."

NIT released a press note saying that he was an ex-student of the institute and had discontinued his course because he had not been successfull in completing his credits. 

“Was Facing Personal Issues in NIT,” Says LPU Admin 

Aman Mittal, the vice president of LPU, said, “Police is investigating the matter and, from the suicide note recovered, the student has taken this extreme step because of the personal problems he faced in his previous institution at NIT Calicut (Kerala).” 

He added, “Yesterday, because of the lack of information there was a misunderstanding among the other fellow students that led to unrest on the university campus late evening. Police and university authorities have clarified the whole situation to the students.”  

A statement issued by the university, read, “The initial investigation by the police, and the contents of the suicide note, point towards personal issues of the deceased. The university is providing full support to the authorities for further investigation.”

The NIT statement says that he was admitted in 2018 and had not successfully completed the minimum requirement of 24 credits at the end of the first year. Over the years, he did not complete the first-year subjects, it added.

“The entire subjects from third year and fourth year of B.Tech were also remaining. It was found that Mr Agin S Dileep has completed the maximum number of Academic Probations (number of additional chances for completing the first year subjects) permitted as per BTech regulations of the institute, and still could not complete the first year subjects after four years of studies. Accordingly, the student could not continue the course,” read the press note.  

‘He Was Upset That He Had To Leave NIT’  

A friend who spoke to The Quint on the condition of anonymity said, “He had joined LPU in Punjab after he was made to leave the campus due to his backlogs."

"We last met him at the NIT campus when he had come down for Onam. We were just chitchatting. But he was upset that all his work over the past four years had gone down the drain. He had to start at LPU from the first year."

A friend of Agin

Another student from LPU said that Agin had joined as a first year student only a few weeks ago.

Agin was a graphic designer and a photographer. On his LinkedIn profile, he wrote, "Albeit I am pursuing Computer Science Engineering, my interests lie in an entirely different domain. I have a strong penchant towards motion graphic design, poster making, video editing, and photography."

“I strongly believe that graphic design, or designing in general, gives a person the artistic freedom to explore ideas that are most authentic to them. I have always been curious about the numerous thoughts that go behind a design and I've tried my best to keep my designs as a reflection of my ideas and beliefs," he added.

His friend said, “He was a very cool person and he loved photography, and design. We are all shocked about what happened. We would never have thought.”