LUCKNOW: Following the recent incident of suspected suicide by final-year BTech student Jai Singh Meena, IIT-Kanpur has constituted a three-member committee to inquire into the circumstances leading to his death.
As per the police sources, the fourth-year BTech student allegedly died by suicide in the hostel room of the institute. This is the fourth case of student suicide at the institute this year.
However, the institute’s move of setting up an internal investigation into the incident comes close to allegation levelled by Jaysingh’s brother in the media that he took the extreme step following harassment at the institute.
IIT Deputy Director Prof Brajbhushan said that in case of any complaint from the family and any allegations against anyone, the probe committee would look thoroughly into it.
The newly-formed internal committee will investigate various aspects, including the student's academic history, and interview friends, classmates, family members, and teachers to understand the potential causes. The police have also seized his mobile, laptop, and other documents for forensic analysis.
According to the police, the 26-year-old student first slit his wrists before hanging himself from a ceiling fan of his room. He was a student in the department of biological sciences and bioengineering. A resident of Ajmer, Rajasthan, he lived in room number 148 of Block 2, they added.
The incident came to light on Monday afternoon when the student did not respond to phone calls by the family which alerted his friends who failed to elicit any response from him despite repeated knocks on his door.
Concerned peers alerted the institute management, which subsequently informed local police. Personnel from Kalyanpur police station arrived at the scene and broke open the door to find the student’s body hanging from the ceiling fan.
“A suicide note was recovered from the room which read ‘Sorry Everyone...’. Preliminary investigation suggested the student slashed his wrists—multiple wounds were found on his forearm—before taking the extreme step,” a senior police official said.
The elder brother of the deceased told the media persons that the family was informed of the tragedy around 1 pm. He said that the incident had come as a shock to the family as the institute had recently closed for winter vacations on December 28 and the victim was expected to return home shortly.
In an official statement, IIT-Kanpur expressed deep grief over the loss. “He was a promising student who joined the institute in July 2020. The institute mourns the tragic loss of a bright young mind and extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved family,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the incident has yet again brought the focus to the growing concerns around mental health issues among students in high-pressure academic institutions.
Repeated cases of student deaths at premier institutes highlight the need for stronger mental health support systems, counselling, and open dialogue around stress and emotional well-being.