A postgraduate student at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M), allegedly died by suicide while another was rescued after he attempted a similar move, police said on Tuesday.
The two cases, however, are not related, police added.
The postgraduate student was found dead inside his hostel room on Monday evening. The 24-year-old from Maharashtra was pursuing a master’s degree in the department of engineering.
The alleged suicide came to light after one of his friends alerted college authorities when he did not open his hostel room, police said.
“His parents told us that though he was a very good student, he had not been attending classes properly for the past two months,” a senior police officer at Kotturpuram police station said.
“He used to be on his own and not interact with family and friends,” the officer, who did not wish to be named, said.
A case of unnatural death has been registered under section 174 (police to enquire and report on suicide) of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the officer said.
In the second case, another postgraduate student reportedly consumed pills on Monday after he failed to study properly. “He fell unconscious. He is conscious now and is doing well. He said he consumed the pills due to stress of not performing well. He also said he will now concentrate on his studies,” the officer cited above said.
The student belongs to a different hostel.
The two incidents prompted students to stage a protest inside the campus on Monday night.
One of the students shared a list of demands with IIT-M director V Kamakoti, seeking an external committee to study mental health of the students, addressing the professor-student relationship for research scholars and increasing facilities at the institute’s medical centre such as making the pharmacy available 24×7, among others.
“The director has agreed to discuss this in 10 days,” the student said, seeking anonymity.
Two purported videos showed the students protesting on Monday night and Kamoti addressing the students on Tuesday morning. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the two videos.
“We shall monitor (the situation) and give you a response,” Kamakoti is seen telling the students gathered around him. He is also heard speaking about the formation of an external committee.
A former student of the institute, who did not wish to be named, said: “IIT-M is an unhealthy environment for someone who is already struggling. Having studied there, I know that it is a negative space to be in.”
The institute, meanwhile, expressed shock over the death of the postgraduate.
“The Institute endeavours and assures to improve and sustain the well-being of the students/scholars, faculty and staff on campus while constantly evaluating the various support systems in place,” IIT-M said in a statement.
“The parents of the student have reached Chennai and we request everyone to please respect the privacy of the family at this unfortunate moment,” it added.