A fourth-year electrical engineering student, K Kiran Chandra, from IIT Kharagpur was found dead in his hostel room on Tuesday evening. Authorities have recorded it as an unnatural death, and a postmortem has been conducted. The institution, in an official statement, stated that the 21-year-old had chosen to take his own life.
Kiran’s family informed reporters that he had been struggling with depression due to a project. He had confided in his professor, who, they claim, dismissed his concerns and urged him to complete it on time. The project deadline was set for Tuesday. However, the family had not lodged a police complaint until late Wednesday.
Kiran, a resident of Chetla Thimmaipally in Telangana’s Medak district, resided in room number 513 of Lal Bahadur Shastri Hall with two other fourth-year students.
According to IIT Kharagpur’s statement, Kiran was in his room until around 7:30 pm, when his roommates left for academic activities. Around 8:30 pm, fellow residents of LBS Hall found his room locked from the inside. They forced the door open and discovered him hanging. Kiran was rushed to BC Roy Technology Hospital, but despite the doctors’ efforts, he was declared deceased around 11:30 pm.
West Midnapore police superintendent, Dhritiman Sarkar, stated that the postmortem procedure was recorded on video, and the investigation is underway.
Kiran’s father, Kethavath Chandra, informed reporters that he received news of his son’s passing from IIT Kharagpur around midnight.
“My son excelled in his studies. He did not have any backlogs in his three years of engineering. However, he was deeply troubled by this project. He spoke to his professor, but his concerns were dismissed, and he was told to complete it on time. I last spoke to him on October 16. He said he was studying and would call back. This is not a case of ragging, but they (IIT) could have supported him,” he expressed.
This marks the third unnatural death at IIT Kharagpur in the past year. On October 14 of the previous year, Faizan Ahmed, a third-year student, was found dead in his hostel room. A special investigation team (SIT) is examining the case following a second autopsy that suggested foul play. The case is under consideration by the Calcutta High Court. In June of this year, Suriya Deepan GS, a 22-year-old chemistry intern, passed away under suspicious circumstances after falling ill.
