RAJKOT: A 20-year-old BTech computer engineering student allegedly died by suicide at Marwadi University on the Rajkot–Morbi Highway on Friday, the second such incident on the campus within a week.Hemant Gadhav, a third-year BTech student from Andhra Pradesh, allegedly jumped from the sixth floor of the university’s main building. He was rushed to the civil hospital in a critical condition, but doctors declared him dead on arrival. According to records, Hemant was a native of Patamata, Vijayvada (urban).According to police, Hemant’s class began at around 7.30am. He reportedly left the classroom saying he was going to the washroom, took a lift from the third floor to the sixth floor and allegedly jumped from the building.Kuwadva Road police registered an accidental death report. Talking to TOI, deputy commissioner of police, zone-1, Hetal Patel said, “The victim was suffering from brain related medical condition and he had discussed about it with his room partner also. Details will emerge once we record the statement of doctors.”Earlier on Sept 19, 19-year-old Sobarnika Venkatesh Alla, a native of Andhra Pradesh and computer engineering student, had died by suicide after jumping from the 10th floor of the women’s hostel.Patel denied any connection between the suicides of the two students in six days. “There was no link between two victims and we could not find the evidence of ragging or harassment inside the college campus,” Patel added.The police recorded the statements of around 20 students after Alla’s suicide but Hemant was among them.In Jan 2025 also, an 18-year-old computer engineering student, Shareddy Sairam, committed suicide in the boys’ hostel.Several students gathered at Civil Hospital on Friday and expressed concern on social media over the two unnatural deaths at the university within a week. A post went viral on social media in which a person looking like a student spoke from outside the main gate of the university.He identified himself as Rushikesh of Marwadi University and said, “You should know the reasons of suicide attempts, the main reason is students are sent far from their homes and if the students have problems, they have nobody to tell. There is nobody to care.”The student also claimed that Hemant was mentally stressed and he was rebuked by a teacher on Thursday.Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) workers staged a protest outside the university gates on Friday.ABVP Rajkot Mahanagar secretary Pushparajsinh Zala said after last week’s death, the varsity management assured them that they would take steps to ensure that students don’t take their own lives but failed in keeping their promise.
