IIT Patna BTech student cuts wrist, dies by suicide after jumping from 7th floor; probe on

NEW DELHI: An Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Patna BTech student took his own life by jumping from the 7th floor of hostel building. As per reports, the IIT Patna 3-year student, identified as Rahul Lavery from Hyderabad, was rushed to Netaji Subhas Medical College and Hospital (NSMCH), where doctors declared him dead.

Danapur SDPO II Pankaj Kumar Mishra told ANI that the IIT Amhara police station received a phone call around noon regarding the suicide case. On the call, the police were informed that an IIT Patna student had jumped from the hostel. "Our team, along with forensic experts, reached the spot and collected evidence. The findings suggest it is a suicide case," Mishra said.

IIT Patna Student Suicide: Police recovers WhatsApp chat

Police told ANI that they have also recovered WhatsApp messages from Rahul’ mobile, which was connected to the suicide case. The WhatsApp messages read, "I don’t deserve this… I’m a loser."

As per the police officer, officials are now looking at his call records to determine what might have led to the incident. One of Rahul’s classmates, Ritu Sinha told Dainik Bhaskar ,"I don’t know why he did this. We saw blood in his room, and by the time we broke the door open, he had already jumped".

Sinha thinks Rahul was not depressed but may have been struggling with academic pressure. He reportedly skipped an exam on the day of the incident, as per Sinha.

IIT Patna Suicide Case: Official statement

IIT Patna released an official statement confirming the incident. IIT Patna’s official press release states, "An unfortunate incident happened at IIT Patna hostel. A 3rd year student of B.Tech. (Mathematics & Computing) fell down from his hostel room balcony and ultimately declared dead when brought to hospital. Institute is bereaved of this tragic incident and loss of a bright student.’’

The Director of IIT Patna also confirmed the news to Careers 360 and said that more details would be shared after the police investigation.

IIT Kanpur suicide case

A PhD scholar from IIT Kanpur died by suicide on February 10. Students have alleged that a professor’s actions may have contributed to his death. In response, they held a candlelight vigil on Wednesday to pay tribute to Yadav and express their dissatisfaction with the administration.

According to the minutes of a general body meeting, which were shared with students via email and accessed by Careers360, students have put several demands. These include the suspension of the accused professor, an independent inquiry by a committee with members from outside IIT Kanpur, and securing CCTV footage from the laboratory as evidence.