PhD student dies by suicide at IIT-Madras in third such case this year
In the third incident of suicide reported from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, this year, a 32-year-old PhD student from West Bengal was found hanging in his room in Tamil Nadu’s Velachery, police told the media on Sunday (April 2).
Sachin Kumar Jain, who reportedly died on March 31, is the 11th student to have taken the drastic step at IIT-Madras since 2018.
“On March 31, the deceased student posted a WhatsApp status, ‘I am sorry, not good Enough’. Seeing the status, his friends reached his home and found Sachin hanging in his room. An ambulance was called, and he was pronounced dead on examination. Further investigation is underway,” police told news agency ANI.
Also read: NEET aspirant dies by suicide in Tamil Nadu
The police have sent the body to Royapet Government Hospital for autopsy.
Three suicides in less than two months
IIT-Madras has issued a statement: “We are deeply anguished to convey the untimely passing away of a PhD research scholar from the Mechanical Engineering Department on the afternoon of 31st March 2023 at his residence at Velachery, Chennai. A student with an exemplary academic and research record 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 student’s family at this difficult juncture. May the departed soul rest in peace.”
On March 14, a third-year BTech student died by suicide on the IIT-Madras campus. The student was identified as Vaipu Pushpak Sree Sai, a 20year-old native of Andhra Pradesh.
Also read: IIT Madras student found dead in hostel room, suicide suspected
Kotturpuram Police registered a case, and investigation is still underway.
On February 14, a research scholar from Maharashtra, Steven Sunny, reportedly hanged himself in a room on the IIT campus.
(With agency inputs)
(Suicides can be prevented. For help, please call Suicide Prevention Helplines: Neha Suicide Prevention Centre – 044-24640050; Aasara helpline for suicide prevention, emotional support & trauma help — +91-9820466726; Kiran, Mental health rehabilitation — 1800-599-0019, Disha 0471- 2552056, Maithri 0484 2540530, and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)
