Another Tragedy at IIT Kharagpur: Fourth-Year Student Found Dead in Hostel Room

A fourth-year IIT Kharagpur student was found dead in his hostel room, with suicide suspected. This is the second such case at the institute this year and the fourth in less than 12 months. Authorities have urged students to utilise available counselling services as concerns over campus mental health deepen.

A 22-year-old student from Maharashtra was found dead in his hostel room at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur on Sunday, raising fresh concerns about student well-being on the prestigious campus. Police suspect the fourth-year engineering student died by suicide, marking the second such case at the institute in 2025 and the fourth in less than a year.

The discovery was made after his classmates grew concerned when he did not respond to repeated knocks on his door. Upon receiving no reply, the students alerted the authorities, who then informed the police. The body was recovered shortly after. The institute later communicated the unfortunate news to the campus community through an official email, urging students to seek counselling and mental health support if needed.

This incident adds to a string of student deaths at IIT Kharagpur, highlighting a growing mental health crisis in India's top engineering institutions. In January this year, a 21-year-old student was found dead in similar circumstances. The previous year also witnessed tragic losses—a fourth-year student from Telangana died by suicide in October 2023, and a third-year student from Kerala was found dead in June 2024.

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The recurring nature of these deaths has prompted calls for more robust mental health support systems, peer mentoring, and proactive outreach within academic institutions. While investigations are ongoing, the campus is once again in mourning, with students and faculty expressing shock over yet another promising life lost too soon.