IIT Madras student hangs self; students stage night-long protest after another suicide attempt

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras BTech student died by suicide in the hostel on Monday. The second year student hailing from Maharashtra hanged himself in the hostel due to stress.

The incident came to light when another student, who noticed his conspicuous absence, informed the hostel warden. When the door of the room where the deceased was staying was opened, the student was found hanging from the ceiling, said police. The 22-year-old student was pursuing MS in electrical engineering at the institute.

A senior police official said family problems could have driven the student to the extreme measure. The Kotturpuram police have registered a case of unnatural death and are investigating. The student in his suicide note said “don’t prosecute”, as per the Times of India report.

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In another incident, a student of the institute, hailing from Karnataka, also made a bid on his life by consuming some tablets. He has been rushed to hospital where he is undergoing treatment. There was no immediate word from IIT Madras on the two incidents, the PTI reported.

Several students staged an overnight sit-in protest yesterday at midnight “demanding responsibility from the administration”. The protest was organised after the IIT Madras student suicide and another suicide attempt that happened.

ChintaBAR, a student body recognised by IIT Madras, said: “More than 100 students participated in the gathering at GC which lasted until 7 AM. The administration, though initially tried to downplay the gravity of the situation, finally agreed to declare today as a non-instructional day to grieve the loss of a fellow student and to organize a town hall meeting which will address the demands raised by the students”. Moreover, the students proposed a 10 point agenda, including a mental health survey by experts.