A first year BTech student studying in a private university in the capital city allegedly died by suicide on Sunday night.
Initial investigations revealed the deceased, aged 19, was a native of Chhattisgarh and was enrolled in the computer science programme in KIIT University. Police said they received information about the incident after 10 pm on Sunday and rushed to the spot.
The youth was found to have hung himself from a ceiling fan using a cloth in his hostel room.
The investigators said the youth's roommates were not present when he reportedly took the extreme step. His body was sent to a hospital for postmortem and a forensics team visited the scene to collect evidence as part of their investigation.
Police did not disclose whether the youth had left behind any note before ending his life. The reason behind the youth's decision to take the drastic step is also under investigation, said police sources.
"A case of unnatural death has been registered and a thorough investigation has been launched. Some digital devices of the deceased have been seized and sent for forensic examination," said ACP, Sonali Singh Parmar.
The university authorities refused to immediately comment on the matter, but informed that they will issue a statement in this regard soon.
Third such incident
This is the third such incident this year on KIIT's campus.
A 20-year-old Nepalese girl, a third-year BTech Computer Science student, had allegedly died by suicide on February 16 following harassment by a 21-year-old mechanical engineering student from the same institution. The incident had blown up into a diplomatic crisis with Nepal warning that it may reconsider allowing its students to pursue education in India if the case was not handled fairly and legally.
On May 1, a Nepalese undergraduate student was found dead in her hostel room. Her body was discovered hanging from the ceiling fan in her room at one of the institute's girls' hostels.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)