IIT Guwahati student found dead in hostel room; hundreds protest over ‘academic pressures’

The body has been sent for post-mortem and the circumstances surrounding the death are being investigated, police said.

The IIT Guwahati administration issued a statement on Monday, saying it is “working closely with the police to investigate the circumstances surrounding this tragic event”.

Hundreds of students gathered to protest outside the administrative building, alleging that academic pressures had led to their fellow student’s death.

“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.

Protesters claimed the dead student was among dozens who had failed in a course last winter due their inability to meet the attendance requirement, and was restricted from internships as a result, pointing to that as a source of distress for him.

“We need the administration to take responsibility and understand our needs. When the last student suicide had taken place, the administration did not take responsibility for anything, we only got to know about it from outside,” said another student protester.

A statement by the institute said, “IIT Guwahati reaffirms its commitment to fostering a supportive and safe environment for all students. Extended counselling support is available, enabling students to meet with counsellors after class hours if needed… IIT Guwahati remains dedicated to prioritising the mental health and well-being of our student community during these challenging times.”

Exactly one month ago, on August 9, a 23-year-old from Uttar Pradesh who was an MTech student of the institute, was found dead in her hostel room.

In April this year, a 20-year-old BTech student from Bihar was also found dead in his hostel room, in a suspected case of suicide.