The death of a first-year IIT Guwahati student who allegedly committed suicide at his hostel room on Apr 10, has once again brought the much debated topic of mental health and ragging to the foreront. The father of the 20-year-old Saurav Kumar, has alleged foul play in the case and has further commented that his son was ‘harassed’ by a group of students, according to media reports.
IIT Guwahati in a statement on the matter said, “The institute is fully cooperating with the ongoing police investigation. The police investigation has determined the cause of death to be suicide. Furthermore, the investigation found no evidence of foul play, or any other external factors contributing to the student's death.”
Discarding any involvement of ragging, the institute further commented, “IIT Guwahati maintains a robust anti-ragging policy with a zero-tolerance approach. There is no indication of ragging being involved in this tragic incident.”
Pradip Mahto (55), the father of the deceased, was quoted by the press saying, “This is not suicide but murder because there is no reason for my son to do it.” He further alleged that upon reaching his son’s hostel room, he found that the things were scattered. Mahto has also asked for an investigation in the matter.
Kamrup Police, however, disregarded foul play in the matter because of the suicide note that was recovered from Kumar’s room but had stated that á¹he police will continue with the investigation.
Originally from Samastipur, Bihar, Kumar was a first-year Computer Science student at IIT Guwahati. He was also one of the toppers in JEE Advanced exam 2023.
IIT Guwahati also said that it is committed to the well-being of its students, “we will continue to provide all necessary support services to the student community.”
Earlier on Jan 1, another student from IIT Guwahati was found dead in a hotel room. Pulluri Aishwarya, a fourth-year student of the Electronics and Communications Department at the institute, died following a New Year celebration in the city.
