IIT-Madras shook by two suicides

New Delhi: Two suicides rattled the IIT-Madras campus on Wednesday evening. The incidents were reportedly unrelated and occurred within a span of two hours.  Viajayalakshmi, wife of the Physics assistant professor Ganeshan, was found hanging in her quarters. The 47-year-old was discovered at around 3 pm. P. Maheshwari was found just an hour later. The 34-year-old post-doctoral research scholar was found hanging in the Sabarmati Hostel. The IIT officials contacted the Kotturpuram police, after Maheshwari’s friends found her dead in her room after searching for her for quite some time. The police reached the hostel and took her body down. They found no suicide note, though Maheshwari’s friends informed the police that she used to be depressed and lonely as her husband Pandiarajan did not come to visit her in the hostel. The incident of Vijayalakshmi’s suicide came to light when her husband came home in the evening. The couple had two children and the assistant professor's wife was distressed with the health condition of her elder son. She had tried to commit suicide earlier as well, as reported by the police. Kotturpuram police have registered cases under CrPc 174 (unnatural death) and are investigating about these incidents. The bodies have been sent to Government Royapettah Hospital for postmortem. Meanwhile the IIT-Madras said that the institute is grieving for these deaths in the campus. Maheshwari’s family has been informed.The institute is taking every necessary action and is extending full cooperation to the civil authorities.