A 29-year-old PhD student at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, allegedly ended her life by hanging herself from the ceiling fan of her room.
Kanpur: In a distressing and alarming trend, the campus of IIT-Kanpur has recently grappled with a series of student suicides. Peer Pressure, stress, Depression, Forced Career Choices, Parental Pressure, Fear of Failure, Caste-Based Discrimination at educational campuses, gender-based violence, and ragging are a few alarming reasons behind student suicide cases in India. A 29-year-old PhD student at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, allegedly ended her life by hanging herself from the ceiling fan of her room here on Thursday, police said, news agency PTI reported. This was the third case of suicide at the IIT-Kanpur campus in a month.
Jharkhand Girl’s Suicide Case
A native of Jharkhand’s Dumka, Priyanka Jaiswal, who was pursuing a PhD in Chemical engineering, got admission to the institute on December 29 last year. Talking to news agency PTI over the phone, Additional DCP (West) Akash Patel said they received information about the suicide around 1:00 PM. Upon reaching the spot, they found the door of Jaiswal’s room was locked from inside and broke it open to find her body hanging from the ceiling fan. A forensic team has been called to the spot, Patel said. Jaiswal’s hostel mates had informed IIT-Kanpur authorities who later called the police. Possible reasons behind Jaiswal’s suicide will only be revealed after a preliminary probe and completing other formalities, the DCP added, news agency PTI added.
In a statement, the Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) Kanpur said, “With profound grief, IIT Kanpur mourns the untimely and unfortunate demise of a PhD student Priyanka Jaiswal, who joined the Department of Chemical Engineering of the Institute last month (December 2023). She was found dead in her hostel room this afternoon. ” “A police forensic team visited the campus to review the reason for the death. The Institute is awaiting the police investigation to determine the likely cause of the death. With Ms. Priyanka’s passing away, the Institute lost a bright and promising young student,” it further said.
IIT Kanpur Suicide Case – Brief
- On January 11, Vikas Kumar Meena (31), a second-year M.Tech student of the institute, allegedly hanged himself from the ceiling fan in his hostel room, reportedly after being “temporarily” barred from continuing with his course.
- On December 19, postdoctoral researcher Pallavi Chilka (34) hanged herself from the ceiling fan of her second-floor hostel room on the campus.
Helpline Numbers, You Can Contact
(If you are having suicidal thoughts or need any emotional support, here are some helpline numbers: Sneha Foundation – 04424640050 (available 24×7), the Tata Institute of Social Sciences’ helpline – 02225521111)
(With PTI Inputs)