IIT-Madras Ph.D. student dies by suicide, third case this year

A Doctoral student at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, committed suicide in his room in Velachery, Tamil Nadu, police reported on Sunday. The dead student was a 32-year-old West Bengal native. This is the third suicide reported from IIT Madras this year, and the eleventh since 2018.

“On March 31, the deceased student posted a WhatsApp status ‘I am sorry not good Enough’. Seeing the status, his friends reached his home and found Sachin hanging in his room. An ambulance was called and he was pronounced dead on examination. Further investigation is underway,” police said.

The body was taken into custody by police and transported to Royapet Government Hospital for an autopsy. IIT Madras has released a statement of condolence in response to the loss.

“We are deeply anguished to convey the untimely passing away of a Ph.D. research scholar from the Mechanical Engineering Department on the afternoon of 31st March 2023 at his residence at Velachery, Chennai. A student with an exemplary academic and research record is a big loss to the research community,” the IIT said.

“The Institute expresses its heartfelt condolences and shares the grief of the friends and family of the deceased student. The Institute requests everyone respect the privacy of the student’s family at this difficult juncture. May the departed soul rest in peace”, it added.

On that day, on March 14, a third-year BTech student committed suicide by hanging at the Madras IIT Campus. Vaipu Pushpak Sree Sai (20), an Andhra Pradesh native, was identified as the deceased. Kotturpuram Police have opened an investigation into the incident, and additional investigation is ongoing. On February 14, a research scholar from Maharashtra hanged himself in an IIT campus accommodation.