IIT-Kharagpur fourth-year student's suspected suicide shocks campus, probe on

A fourth-year student at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kharagpur in the state of West Bengal was found dead in the campus hostel on Tuesday (Oct 17), with police authorities suspecting it to be a case of suicide, local media reports said.The student was identified as K Kiran Chandra, a 21-year-old hailing from Telangana. Chandra was pursuing his studies in the electrical engineering department at IIT-Kharagpur.

Indian Express while citing sources within the institute, said that Chandra's lifeless body was found by his hostel mates. Swift action was taken, and the report said that he was immediately rushed to the hospital located inside the institute campus. However, he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Police investigation

Police have initiated a case of unnatural death, and Chandra's body has been sent for post-mortem examination at the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital.

Preliminary indicationspoint to a potential suicide, the report said while citing police sources,though the authorities are conducting a thorough investigation and nothing can be said with certainty as of now.

A senior officer from the West Midnapore district police reportedly said, "We are currently investigating the matter. The body has been sent for post-mortem."

Institute's official statement

In a release issued on Wednesday (Oct 18), IIT-Kharagpur expressed its shock stating, "With a sense of utter shock, the Students, Staff, and Faculty members of IIT Kharagpur deeply mourn the sudden demise of Mr. K Kiran Chandra, a 4th-year Dual Degree student in the Department of Electrical Engineering. He was a boarder of the Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Hall of Residence and chose the path of self-harm on the night of 17th October 2023."

The institute reportedly said that Chandra had been in the company of two of his roommates in their hostel room until approximately 7.30 PM.

The other two students left for academic activities, and at around 8:30 pm, fellow boarders from the LBS Hall noticed that Kiran's room was locked from the inside.

With no option to enter the room, it was forced open. Upon entering, Chandra's dead body was found. Immediate action was taken to send him to the B C Roy Technology Hospital, but despite all efforts of the medical staff, Kiran was declared deceased around 11:30 PM.

(With inputs from agencies)

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