Another IIT Kanpur Student Dies By Suicide, Was Battling Depression

IIT Kanpur Director Manindra Agarwal expressed condolences, saying the institute had lost a promising research scholar and extended support to the bereaved family.

Police and forensic teams have collected evidence from the spot, and the body has been sent for post-mortem examination.

Source : ABPLIVE AI

A 25-year-old PhD scholar died by suicide at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur on Tuesday after jumping from the sixth floor of a residential building on campus.

The deceased, Swaroop Ishwaram, a native of Rajasthan’s Churu district, was a research scholar in the Department of Earth Sciences. He lived on campus with his wife, Manju, and their two-year-old daughter.

PhD Scholar Was Battling Anxiety

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) SM Qasim Abidi said Ishwaram had been battling anxiety and depression for a long time and had undergone counselling on multiple occasions. He was rushed to a private hospital on Tuesday afternoon but succumbed to his injuries later in the evening.

According to police, Ishwaram’s wife told investigators that he had been under severe stress in recent weeks due to his mental health condition. Police and forensic teams have collected evidence from the spot, and the body has been sent for post-mortem examination. No suicide note was recovered. Manju is being questioned as part of the ongoing investigation.

IIT Kanpur Director Manindra Agarwal expressed condolences, saying the institute had lost a promising research scholar and extended support to the bereaved family.

Second Suicide At IIT Kanpur In One Month

This is the second suicide reported at IIT Kanpur in less than a month. On December 29, another student from Rajasthan was found dead in his hostel room, leaving behind a brief note apologising to everyone. The institute has recorded at least nine student suicides over the past three years and more than 12 in the last five years, with officials noting that most cases did not involve suicide notes.

Meanwhile, the institute is set to respond to the Human Rights Commission on January 22 regarding student suicides. The commission had earlier clubbed the December case with a writ petition filed in 2024, and efforts are underway to include Ishwaram’s death in the same petition.