B Tech student found hanging in IIT Kharagpur; fourth such case this year        

A fourth-year B Tech student was found hanging in his hostel room at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur campus on Friday, the fourth such unnatural death case at the campus since January this year.

Ritam Mondal (21), a student of mechanical engineering, was found hanging in his room at Rajendra Prasad Hall hostel building, an institute official told PTI.

The student, who hailed from Kolkata, had retired to his room after dinner on Thursday night, and there was no abnormality in his behaviour, one of his hostel mates said.

The IIT KGP official said that, as repeated knocks on his door did not evoke any response, police at the outpost on the campus, accompanied by institute security guards, broke open the door and found him hanging. An FIR has been lodged by the institute, and all cooperation is being extended to the investigators.

The student's family has been informed, the official said.

The student's death sent shockwaves through the campus.

IIT Kharagpur said in a statement, "With deep sorrow, we regret to inform of the untimely demise of Ritam Mondal (Roll No 22ME3FP60), a fourth-year undergraduate student of the Department of Mechanical Engineering."

Tracing the sequence of events, the statement said, "Mondal was found dead in his room at Rajendra Prasad Hall of Residence on the morning of July 18. Upon receiving the information, the institute's security response team acted swiftly and reached the hostel premises. Then, the institute's medical team, the Director, senior administrative officials, and local police authorities arrived. Immediate communication was also made with Mondal's family."

Claiming no abnormality was noticed in the youth's behaviour, the statement said he had recently returned to campus after long summer vacation.

"Mondal had resumed his classes. As per the records reviewed from the Institute's SARTH Counselling Centre, there were no prior indicators of mental health concerns. The faculty advisor from the department also mentioned that there were no apparent academic and non-academic issues that caught their attention. The administration has initiated the process of filing an FIR and the needful action as per law," the statement added.

Police have initiated an investigation, and the institute is extending full cooperation to facilitate the process, the statement said, adding, "We have constituted a fact-finding committee to examine the incident further and report at the earliest. The entire IIT Kharagpur community is deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic loss."

IIT Kharagpur Director Prof Suman Chakraborty, while expressing "extreme distress as a parent-like individual at this shocking incident", reiterated that the institute "is already in the process of bringing up a holistic intervention programme combining cutting-edge technology, super-specialised expert support, highly personalised interaction for the well-being of all students, with a mission of ensuring that such an incident never occurs again."

On January 12, third-year electrical engineering student Shaon Malik was found hanging in his hostel room.

On April 20, final-year student of Ocean Engineering Aniket Walker was found dead in similar conditions.

On May 4, third-year B Tech student Mohammad Asif Qamar was found dead in his hostel room.

"As part of its continued efforts to support student well-being, the institute confirms the availability of dedicated mental health and counselling services round the clock. Furthermore, IIT Kharagpur is set to launch a new AI-driven mental wellness initiative, SETU, on July 25, to enhance proactive mental health support for students," the statement said.