IIT M Research Scholar Allegedly Dies by Suicide, Third Such Incident This Year

PhD Scholar At IIT Madras Dies By Suicide, Leaves Message: "Not Good Enough"

(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 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.

In a statement, the institute said he was “a student with exemplary academic and research record. It is a big loss to the research community. The Institute expresses its heartfelt condolences and shares the grief of the friends and family of the deceased student. The Institute requests everyone to respect the privacy of the students’ family at this difficult juncture.”

I am sorry, not good enough

Jain left a cryptic status on WhatsApp, reported India Today.

Jain's alleged suicide is the third such incident involving a student at the institute this year.

What's happening at IIT Madras? 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.

However, now on Friday, Sachin Kumar Jain, a native of West Bengal, allegedly died by suicide at his rental home in Velachery. The incident has sent shock waves among the students and families who allege that these cases indicate a serious problem plaguing the institute.