A 29-year-old PhD student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, was found dead in her hostel room on Thursday, January 18 the police said. This is the third such incident inside the campus in a month.
According to Kalyanpur Assistant Commissioner of Police, the deceased students has been identified as Abhishek Pandey from Jharkhand. Police said the incident came to light when the father of the deceased called hostel authorities after repeated calls to his daughter went unanswered.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), Akash Patel said they received information about the death and on reaching the spot, police found the room door locked from inside. They broke it open and found the student's body in her room. "A forensic team was sent to the spot. The student's hostel mates had alerted college authorities who later called the police," he added.
The reason behind the death is yet to be ascertained, the DCP said. Police said the body has been sent for post-mortem examination.
According to the institute, the woman had enrolled as a student of the Chemical engineering department on December 29. In a statement, IIT-Kanpur said, "With profound grief, IIT Kanpur mourns the untimely and unfortunate demise of a PhD student. She was found dead in her hostel room. The institute is awaiting the police investigation to determine the likely cause of the death."
On January 11, a second-year MTech student and on December 19, a post-doctoral researcher had died by suicide in the campus of the institute.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.