As a third-year BTech student of IIT Guwahati was found dead in his hostel room, massive protests were sparked by the students. This is the fourth student death at the institute this year.
The deceased, a 21-year-old from Uttar Pradesh, was in the Computer Science and Engineering programme. On Monday morning, police were informed that he was found dead in his room.
Hundreds of students gathered to protest outside the administrative building, alleging that academic pressures had led to their fellow student’s death. They questioned the effectiveness of the institute’s mental health and welfare support systems.
“There is a lot of rage among the students because this is the second suicide in the course of a month. We want the deans and the directors to meet us and address our concerns,” said one of the student protesters, Indian Express reported.
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Students claimed the dead student was among several others who had failed a course last winter due to their inability to meet the attendance requirement and were restricted from internships as a result, pointing to that as a source of distress for him, IE reported.
The body of the male student has been sent to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for a postmortem examination.
“IITG is deeply saddened to report the loss of a student from our community. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the student’s family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time,” an institute spokesperson said.
“We encourage our student community to reach out to our support networks. IITG reaffirms its commitment to fostering a supportive and safe environment for all students,” the spokesperson added.
On August 9, a 24-year-old MTech student was also found dead in her hostel room. Earlier in April, a 20-year-old BTech student from Bihar was also found dead in his hostel room, in a suspected case of suicide.