Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur reported another suicide, an official statement released by IIT Kanpur informed. This is the third such case at the premier institute in the last two months.
The deceased has been identified as Priyanka Jaiswal, a PhD scholar at IIT Kanpur who joined the Department of Chemical Engineering last month in December 2023, the institute informed. She reportedly took the extreme step on Wednesday, January 17.
As per PTI, Jaiswal was a native of Jharkhand’s Dumka district.
“With profound grief, IIT Kanpur mourns the untimely and unfortunate demise of a PhD student, Ms. Priyanka Jaiswal, who joined the Department of Chemical Engineering of the Institute last month, that is December 2023. She was found dead in her hostel room this afternoon,” the official statement shared by the institute said.
A police case has been registered and an investigation is currently underway. Reports state that no suicide note has been recovered yet.
The police informed that they were informed about the suicide at around 1 pm. Upon reaching the campus, they found the door of Jaiswal’s room was locked from inside. After breaking open the door, they found the woman's body hanging from the ceiling fan, PTI said.
“A police forensic team visited the campus to review the reason for the death. The Institute is awaiting the police investigation to determine the likely cause of the death. With Ms. Priyanka’s passing away, the Institute lost a bright and promising young student,” the statement further said.
To recall, earlier this month, another PhD scholar Vikas Meena from Meerut died by suicide inside the campus. In December 2023 as well, Pallavi, a research faculty member who hailed from Odisha, died by suicide at IIT Kanpur.
If you are depressed or having suicidal thoughts, remember you are not alone. Reach out to a loved one or contact the following helplines Tele MANAS: 14416 and Sangath: 011-41198666
