A PhD student was recovered dormant successful IIT Kharagpur connected Saturday (September 20, 2025). The 27-year-old researcher’s assemblage was recovered wrong the B.R. Ambedkar Hall astir 2 p.m.
The deceased, Harshkumar Pandey from Jharkhand, was pursuing probe successful mechanical engineering.
After the researcher’s begetter could not scope him implicit the phone, helium contacted the institute’s security. His country was recovered locked pursuing which the institute alerted section police.
Pandey’s assemblage was recovered successful the day and sent to the B.C. Roy Hospital astatine IIT Kharagpur, wherever doctors declared him dead.
With this incident, the fig of unnatural deaths successful IIT Kharagpur successful 2025 touched six, 5 of these are suspected cases of decease by suicide, and 1 idiosyncratic died aft choking connected medication.
“The medication has initiated the filing of an FIR, and the constabulary person commenced an probe into the incident. The institute is extending afloat practice to the authorities,” an authoritative merchandise from IIT Kharagpur said.
The manager of the institute, Professor Suman Chakraborty, expressed grief implicit the incidental and offered his condolences.
Series of deaths
Pandey’s decease follows that of a 21-year-old B. Tech student, Ritam Mondal, who was recovered successful his hostel country connected July 18. On May 4, Mohammad Asif Qamar, 22, a third-year B.Tech student, was recovered dormant successful his room. In April, a last twelvemonth student, Aniket Walker, 22, from Maharashtra ended his life. This was preceded by the decease of Shaon Malik, 21, a third-year pupil of electrical engineering.
Steps for pupil well-being
In May, aft Qasam’s death, the Supreme Court had asked if an FIR had been registered and sought a report. Later, the tribunal questioned wherefore truthful galore students were dying by termination astatine the institute.
With the rising intelligence wellness issues and pupil deaths, the institute started an integrated intelligence wellness enactment strategy and formed a 10-member committee comprising psychologists, ineligible professionals, educationists, counsellors, and alumni.
The recently appointed director, Mr. Chakraborty, launched the ‘campus mother’ programme and an AI-driven pupil payment app called HEART. However, the conception of ‘campus mothers’ was met with mixed reviews, with galore intelligence wellness experts calling it “gendered” and a “surface-level intervention”.
(People successful distress oregon having suicidal thoughts tin question counselling by calling the termination prevention helpline number: DISHA - 0471-2552056, 1056)
