Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], October 11 (ANI): A first-year student at the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Ranchi, allegedly died by suicide in his hostel room on Saturday night, following which a students' protest erupted at the gate of the hostel campus against the management with certain demands.
The protest continued till the afternoon on Sunday.
According to police, the incident came to light late Saturday night around 11:30 PM when Aditya, a resident of Bhagalpur, did not open the door of his hostel room despite repeated knocks. Suspecting something amiss, his friends broke open the door and found out that he had committed suicide.
He was immediately rushed to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. The local police were subsequently alerted, and the student's family members were informed.
Speaking on the incident, Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rakesh Ranjan said that a forensic team has visited the spot and collected evidence as part of the ongoing probe.
"Our preliminary investigation is still going on right now. The FSL team has also gone there and collected evidence. They've also recorded the statements of the roommates and others," SSP Ranjan told reporters.
The senior police official also clarified that the student's death has no link to the ongoing protest by students on the institute's campus, describing the two as separate developments.
"Both of these things—the protest by the IIIT students and the suicide incident—are separate events. The main demand of the protest is that there are some issues in the hostel, and they want to put their point across to the IIIT management," the SSP explained.
Regarding the possible motive behind the extreme step, Ranjan said preliminary inputs suggest the student may have been under academic pressure.
"As for the suicide, the police are investigating it properly... The incident probably happened for exam-related reasons. But it would be too soon to say anything right now," the officer added.
Director of the IIIT Ranchi, Rajeev Srivastav, expressed his grief and said that they are cooperating with the police and district administration in every possible manner. He also said that whatever allegations are being levelled by the students will be addressed
The SSP reiterated that the investigation is ongoing and further details regarding the same are underway. (ANI)
IIIT Ranchi student dies by suicide in hostel; probe underway
