New Delhi: A 23-year-old Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi student died by suicide at his home in east Delhi’s Vivek Vihar area, police said on Wednesday. This is the third such case of a student of IIT-Delhi dying by suicide this year.
Panav Jain, a fourth-year BTech student, committed suicide by hanging when the victim’s parents had gone out for a walk. Panav was pursuing his degree in Textile Engineering. He resided in Vindhyachal Hostel and held the positions of cultural secretary and vice-captain of the hostel's basketball team last year.
No suicide note was recovered
Delhi Police said that Panav's body was found by his parents at about 9 pm on Tuesday upon returning from their evening walk. "Panav had hanged himself with a dupatta (scarf) at the weight lifting rod which was installed at their home," said police. The victim’s parents took him to Pushpanjali Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
According to the police, Panav's father informed them that his son had been experiencing stress and depression for the past few months and was undergoing treatment for depression.
The police said that no suicide note was found, and they are continuing with their investigations into the matter.
Previous suicide incidents
Earlier in September, 21-year-old Anil Kumar allegedly hanged himself in his hostel room at IIT Delhi. He was pursuing B.Tech in Mathematics and Computing (session 2019-2023), and was staying in the Vindhyachal Hostel of the institute.
Kumar was reportedly under pressure as he was supposed to vacate the hostel room in June, but since he could not qualify some subjects he was given an extension for six months to clear his subjects.
In July, 20-year-old Ayush Ashna allegedly committed suicide by hanging in his hostel room. Ayush committed suicide in his room at the Udaigiri Hostel using a nylon rope.
Earlier this year, Minister of State for Education (MoS) Subhas Sarkar informed Parliament that a total of 33 students from different Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), 24 students from various National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and four students from the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have died by suicide since 2018.
(With PTI inputs)
