Researcher found dead at IIT-Kharagpur, fifth suspected case of suicide this year

The body of a researcher was found hanging from the ceiling of his hostel room in IIT-Kharagpur on Saturday, in the fifth suspected case of suicide at the premier institute this year, officials said.

Harshkumar Pandey (27), a resident of Ranchi, was found dead in his room at the BR Ambedkar Hall around 2 pm, they said.

Pandey was pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering, they added.

“His parents could not reach him on the phone, and the door of his room was locked from the inside. Subsequently, police were informed, and they broke into the room to find his body hanging from the ceiling,” an IIT-Kharagpur spokesperson said.

With this, a total of five students have died by hanging themselves at the institute since January.

The last such incident happened on July 18, when Ritam Mondal, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student, was found dead in his hostel room at the Rajendra Prasad Hall.

Apart from them, a student died after choking on a pill on July 21. Chandradip Pawar, who hailed from Madhya Pradesh, was a second-year student of electrical engineering.

To deal with the increasing number of suicides on the campus, the IIT-Kharagpur took a slew of initiatives for students to deal with stress.