20-year-old undergraduate student dies by suicide at IIT Roorkee

A 20-year-old undergraduate student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee allegedly died by suicide on Thursday night.

The student had been suffering from depression for some time and had visited the institute's wellness centre for over a year. According to police officials, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using a bedsheet.

At around 11 pm, when fellow students knocked on his hostel room door and received no response, they looked through the window and saw him hanging from the ceiling fan.

HT reached out to IIT Roorkee media cell in-charge Sonika Srivastava, but she was unavailable for comment.

What the police said

Pradeep Singh Bisht, station house officer (SHO) at Roorkee police station, said police received information around midnight that a student had hanged himself in his hostel room.

"He last met his friends around 3 pm (on Thursday) before returning to his hostel room. When a friend went to check on him at around 11 pm, the door was locked from the inside. Looking through the window, they found him hanging from the ceiling fan with a bedsheet," Bisht said.

"Upon receiving the alert around midnight, we reached the spot and brought the body down. He was declared dead following an examination by university doctors," he said.

The officer said that the student was undergoing treatment for depression and had been visiting the university's wellness centre for over a year.

"We have recovered a suicide note from the spot. He has not blamed anyone for the extreme step, instead citing his depression," he added.

"Prima facie, it appears to be a case of suicide. There were no external injuries or signs of struggle on the body. His parents have been informed, and a post-mortem examination will be conducted today," the SHO said.

Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.

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