A third-year Electrical Engineering student, Vaipu Pushpak Sri Sai, was found dead in his hostel room at IIT-Madras on Tuesday. The 23-year-old student hailed from Andhra Pradesh and was residing in Alakananda hostel on the campus.
According to IIT officials, his friends raised an alarm after he did not come out of his room. He was found dead when the door was finally opened.
After being alerted police reached the spot and the body was sent for post-mortem examination at Royapettah government hospital. The police have launched an investigation into the circumstances leading to the suicide.
In a message, the IIT-Madras management expressed its deepest condolences to the family and friends of the student.
A statement issued by the administration said Sai’s parents have been informed.
“Post Covid-19 has been a challenging environment and the Institute has been endeavouring 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,” the statement said.
On February 13, students organised a night-long protest on the campus against the callous handling of a student’s suicide and another suicide attempt. While the protest forced the management to cancel classes for a day, the Director of IIT-Madras had to come in person and address the students, promising action.
In a statement on Tuesday, the management said an inquiry committee was established recently, which includes elected student representatives, to investigate the recent suicides on campus.