The demise of a third-year undergraduate student from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has again cast a grim shadow over the institute. So far, this year has witnessed over five student deaths and has led to a renewed sense of alarm with regard to safeguarding the mental wellness of the students.
On Sunday night, October 8, the railway police recovered the deceased student’s body by the railway tracks along the Andhra Pradesh border, read an official media statement released by IIT Madras on October 9. The statement also added that the student left the campus on October 3 and was returning from Delhi to Chennai via train.
A condolence message was also sent to the students from the Dean of Students (DoSt) Prof Sathyanarayana N Gummadi which mentioned that the student was enrolled in the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department of IIT Madras.
It mentioned no such cause of death but said that a probe into the death is on and police are now investigating the case.
Suicide note recovered, say sources
In conversation with one of the batchmates of the deceased, it came to light that a suicide note had allegedly been recovered by the police after the boy was tracked down via the train he was travelling in. According to the batchmate, who wanted to keep his identity anonymous due to privacy concerns, the deceased had allegedly run away to Bengaluru, and then was traced to Mumbai and later on, travelled to Delhi.
It is alleged that the police were successful in establishing contact with the student who was returning from Delhi to Chennai via train, but by the time the police could track his location and the train, they discovered his belongings and allegedly a suicide note was also found, says the student.
The contents of the letter are yet to be revealed but EdexLive received information from another student that via the suicide note, the deceased expressed his disappointment at having to study Science. The note also mentioned that his interests were elsewhere but he was forced to take up preparation for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) from Class VIII.
What could be the reason?
The cause behind the student’s death is yet to be announced officially by the institute but it is being opined that the underlying cause could be depression, which was aggravated by several situations.
According to the deceased’s batchmate, the student has been missing classes as well as several course exams which led to a sharp dip in his CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average). “The third year of BTech is the season of internships, but mostly in the department, internships are offered to the ones who have secured more than 7.5 CGPA as there is a dearth of opportunities in the field,” claimed the student, adding that the deceased did not register to appear for the interviews.
He further reckoned that the deceased mingled only in small circles. When EdexLive inquired whether he was affected due to added peer pressure, he replied that the first year of college encourages students to join clubs and teams that suit their interests. However the deceased allegedly was unable to participate in any, as his communication skills were weak. “These clubs require students to be upfront with their thoughts and require good communication skills, especially English, but this is where he lagged,” the student claimed.
Students asked to seek help
A students’ collective in Madras, Chintabar, had organised a condolence meeting in the wake of his death on Tuesday, October 10, in front of the Central Lecture Theatre. When inquired into the discussions that took place, EdexLive was informed by a member of the collective that they have been allegedly told that the facilities on the campus will be improved further with varied ways of support mechanisms under deliberation. The member also addressed the issue that sometimes students are unable to seek the required help as the wellness centre of the institute is overworked, hence there is a need for speedy infrastructural development on the campus.
According to an Instagram post by the Chintabar, it urges students to seek help from wellness mechanisms such as Saathi, Mitr and other wellness centres in case they find difficulty in such hours.
