Guwahati IIT Student Found Dead in Hostel; Fourth Unusual Death This Year, Second in a Month

A 21-year-old student from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-G), was discovered dead in his hostel room. Police reported finding the body hanging, with initial evidence pointing towards suicide.

The body was located in a room at Brahmaputra Hostel on Monday morning, according to the police. It has been sent to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for a postmortem examination.

Ranjan Bhuyan, Superintendent of Police for Kamrup district, confirmed the discovery on Monday afternoon, stating that the investigation is ongoing. “It’s too early to provide specific details as we are still looking into the matter. We are awaiting the postmortem report,” he added.

IIT-G authorities acknowledged the incident, noting that they are conducting their own preliminary investigation. “We will issue an official statement once we gather more information,” they said.

Preliminary reports suggest that the 21-year-old student was a third-year Bachelor of Technology (BTech) student in the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) department, originally from Uttar Pradesh.

This marks the fourth unusual death at IIT-G this year, and the second within a month. On August 9, a 24-year-old MTech student was also found dead in her hostel room, with her body discovered hanging from the ceiling.

The deceased student, also from Uttar Pradesh, was found after her friends noticed her absence from class earlier in the day, according to an institute spokesperson.

In another case from April, a 20-year-old BTech student from Bihar was found dead. His family alleged that he was a victim of ragging and murder, and demanded a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. “This is a clear case of murder, and the authorities are trying to pass it off as suicide. He had complained about ragging multiple times, but no action was taken,” the student’s father claimed. The family has filed a formal complaint against the institute for negligence.

Additionally, in January, a female student from Telangana died following a New Year’s celebration on campus. She was brought to GMCH in an unconscious state on January 1, where doctors declared her dead.