Pune DIAT student found dead in hostel room, suicide suspected

DIAT, a premier research and academic establishment of the Ministry of Defence, said in a statement on Tuesday, “We are deeply saddened to inform you about the unfortunate demise of Aneet Abhishek, a meritorious and sincere student of 2nd year MSc, Applied Chemistry.”

The statement added that his friends noticed his absence since the morning of April 17 and repeatedly tried contacting him. Around 8.30 pm, when he did not respond, they reached his room and found the door locked inside. They broke the door and took him to a hospital in an ambulance, but he was declared dead.

Later, he was transferred to Sasoon Hospital for a post-mortem in accordance with protocol. His family and the police were informed accordingly. A team from the Nanded city police Station visited the scene of the incident and seized his belongings, including a laptop, mobile phone, and tablet, for further investigation.

Sambhaji Kadam, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 3), said, “After the death was reported to us, a probe has been launched. Initial investigation points to this being a case of suicide… In the note, he has not blamed anyone and has thanked his family, fellow students and faculty for their help and support all along. Probe suggests that he had been withdrawn from others for some time. We will be recording statements of his family, friends and institute officials as part of the investigation into his death.”

The statement from the institute read, “Preliminary findings suggest that he was in a state of depression. This tragic loss has left the entire community in deep sorrow.”

It said a condolence meeting was organised at DIAT on April 21, in which students were counselled and requested to contact the institute authority and faculty for any problem. It added that they were further advised to approach the institute counsellor in case of any stress-related issues.