A fourth-year mechanical engineering student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur was found dead in his hostel room on Friday.

The deceased, identified as 21-year-old Ritam Mondal from Kolkata, was a resident of the Rajendra Prasad (RP) Hall hostel. His body was found on Friday around noon, after he failed to respond to repeated knocks on his door.

BTech Student Found Unresponsive in Hostel Room

According to one of his hostelmates, Ritam had gone to his room after dinner on Thursday night and had not shown any signs of distress or unusual behaviour. When he didn’t show up the next morning, fellow residents alerted the campus police. Security personnel and police broke open the door and found him hanging.

An official from the institute confirmed that Ritam's family had been informed and expressed deep grief over the loss. The incident has once again cast a spotlight on the mental health challenges faced by students in high-pressure academic environments.

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Unnatural Death at IIT KGP in 2025

This incident marks the fourth unnatural student death reported at IIT Kharagpur since the beginning of the year. In January, third-year electrical engineering student Shaon Malik was found dead under similar circumstances. This was followed by the deaths of Aniket Walker, a final-year Ocean Engineering student, in April and Mohammad Asif Qamar, a third-year BTech student, in May.

These repeated tragedies have sent shockwaves through the student body, raising urgent concerns about psychological well-being and the mental health infrastructure available on campus.

Measures Taken to Support Student Mental Health

In response to previous incidents, IIT Kharagpur has taken steps to address emotional well-being. These include the installation of barcodes on hostel doors that link students to helpline numbers, and the introduction of the ‘Campus Mothers’ initiative. Under this program, female faculty and staff members offer mentorship and emotional support to students.

However, with yet another case surfacing, there is growing demand for more comprehensive mental health strategies at one of India’s premier engineering institutes.