A 29-year-old PhD student on Thursday allegedly hanged herself to death from the ceiling fan in her room at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

The deceased, identified as Priyanka Jaiswal from Jharkhand’s Dumka, was pursuing a PhD in Chemical Engineering and had joined the institute on December 29, 2023.

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Speaking to PTI, Additional DCP (West) Akash Patel said that they received information about the incident at around 1 pm. Upon reaching the scene, they discovered that Jaiswal’s room was locked from the inside. They had to break open the door to find her lifeless body hanging from the ceiling fan.

A forensic team has been summoned to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. IIT-Kanpur authorities were alerted by Jaiswal’s hostel mates, who then informed the police.

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The reasons behind Jaiswal’s alleged suicide are yet to be determined, and a comprehensive investigation is underway, according to DCP Akash Patel.

In an official statement, IIT-Kanpur expressed deep sorrow over the untimely demise of Priyanka Jaiswal. “With profound grief, IIT Kanpur mourns the untimely and unfortunate demise of a PhD student Priyanka Jaiswal, who joined the Department of Chemical Engineering of the Institute last month (December 2023). She was found dead in her hostel room this afternoon,” IIT-Kanpur said.

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“A police forensic team visited the campus to review the reason for the death. The Institute is awaiting the police investigation to determine the likely cause of the death. With Ms. Priyanka’s passing away, the Institute lost a bright and promising young student,” the statement further read.

This incident follows two other suicides at the institute in the past month. On January 11, Vikas Kumar Meena (31), a second-year M.Tech student at the institute, reportedly took his own life by hanging himself from the ceiling fan in his hostel room after he was “temporarily” prohibited from continuing with his course.

Earlier, on December 19, Pallavi Chilka (34), a postdoctoral researcher, hanged herself from the ceiling fan in her second-floor hostel room.

(With PTI Inputs)