PhD Scholar, 24, From IIT-Kanpur Dies By Suicide In Hostel Room: Cops

A 24-year-old PhD scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology here ended his life by hanging himself from the ceiling of his hostel room on Monday, police said.

The incident came to light in the evening when calls made to Ankit Yadav (24), a Noida resident pursuing a PhD in chemistry, by his friends went unanswered.

Sensing trouble, Yadav's hostel mates informed the IIT-Kanpur authorities, who in turn alerted the police and rushed to the room, said Additional DCP (west) Vijendra Dwivedi.

"We received information about the suicide around 5 pm after which we along with local police arrived there. By the time police reached there, the IIT-Kanpur authorities had already taken out the body after breaking open the door and shot a video of it as evidence," the police officer told PTI.

A suicide note was found in the room in which Yadav stated that he took the extreme step of his own will and blamed nobody for it.

The police said a forensic team was called to collect evidence.

The exact reasons behind the suicide will only be revealed after a preliminary probe, Dwivedi told PTI, adding the body has been sent for post-mortem and the family members have also arrived at the institute.

In a statement, the institute said, "IIT-K mourns the tragic and untimely demise of Ankit Yadav, a PhD scholar in the Department of Chemistry, here today. Yadav was a promising research scholar who joined the institute in July 2024, with an UGC Fellowship." The reason for the drastic step is uncertain at this stage, however, IIT-K is actively cooperating with the police and forensic team in the ongoing investigation, it said, adding the institute is committed to taking all necessary steps to prevent such unfortunate incidents.

On October 10 last year, 28-year-old PhD student Pragati Kharya ended her life by hanging herself from the ceiling hook inside her hostel room. On January 18, 29-year-old PhD student Priyanka Jaiswal who was pursuing a PhD in Chemical engineering allegedly committed suicide inside her hostel room.

On January 11, 2024, an MTech second-year student Vikas Kumar Meena (31) allegedly hanged himself from the ceiling fan in his IIT-Kanpur hostel room, reportedly after he was "temporarily" barred from continuing with his course. On December 19, 2023, postdoctoral researcher Pallavi Chilka (34) hanged herself from the ceiling fan of her hostel room.