The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur was disconcerted by yet another student suicide in less than a month. Vikas Kumar Meena, an MTech student who was pursuing Aerospace Engineering at the institution was reported to be found dead in the evening on Wednesday, January 10.
An official communique from IIT Kanpur, which EdexLive has access to, mourned the untimely demise of the student. It further informed that Vikas was an academically bright student who had enrolled in the degree programme in 2021, and hailed from Uttar Pradesh's Meerut.
Although the cause of his death is unknown yet, the institute said, "A forensic team has taken stock of the matter. The institute is awaiting further investigation by the police to determine the likely cause of death."
Student under duress?
According to uttarpradeshtimes.com, the 30-year-old student was found hanging on the ceiling fan of his room by a security guard, and other students of the hostels were made aware of the situation immediately.
As per sources, it is speculated that Vikas was under duress as he had to clear a few papers, and this prompted him to take the extreme step.
Police share more details
A byte shared on 'X' via the Police Commissionerate, Kanpur Nagar, featuring the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kalyanpur, Abhishek Kumar Pandey, shares that the police were intimated by the Chief Security Officer of the institution at around 9 pm on January 10 about the death of an MTech student of the Aerospace Engineering department.
He adds, "The police reached immediately on the site of the incident, and started its investigation. The deceased's parents were also informed and the body has been sent for a postmortem."
Just 21 days and another death
On December 19, a 34-year-old research scholar from the same institution hanged herself from the ceiling fan of her second-floor hostel room, the police informed PTI.
Pallavi Chilka, hailing from Odisha's Cuttack, was pursuing her postdoctoral research at the Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering of the institute. According to PTI, a preliminary investigation suggested depression to be the cause behind the suicide.
An 'X' handle, with the username @VoiceofIITD shares in their post, "Now it's very regular that IITs are becoming graveyards for the students."
If you are depressed or having suicidal thoughts, remember that you are not alone. Reach out to a loved one or contact the following helplines:
Tele MANAS: 14416
Sangath: 011-41198666
