Mumbai: A day after the second-year class commenced, a 20-year-old BTech student at IIT Bombay died by suicide in his single-occupancy room in Hostel No 4 on IIT Powai campus, police said. Police suspect the student took the extreme step on Tuesday night and was last captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) on IIT campus premises, walking towards the hostel building around 12 noon.“We suspect a failed relationship behind the student’s extreme step. We found a notebook in which he had scribbled a half-page note on it and his depression. But he did not mention anything about suicide in it,” said a Powai police station officer.He had returned to IIT-B campus from his Rajasthan home on Monday, on the first day of his second year. His mother, who resides in Rajasthan, called security officials after dozens of WhatsApp calls to her son went unanswered between 5 pm and 10.30 pm. Police seized his phone and sent it for forensic analysis to extract the contents as they suspect he deleted his chat history.Police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) and said they were probing the matter. The police also said they registered a case of suicide and were probing the matter under Section 194 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, which outlines the legal procedure for police officers to investigate and report on unnatural deaths, suicides or suspicious circumstances.IIT-B management informed the student’s parents of the tragedy on Tuesday night after a security guard found him hanging from the ceiling fan in the hostel room, the police said.The police said the motive would be clearer after his parents provide information. “The deceased’s uncle arrived in Mumbai from Rajasthan. Four teams have been formed to probe the matter,” said DCP (West Zone-3) Datta Nalawade.The student’s uncle, who is in the transport business, was to take the body in an air ambulance as the mother was inconsolable and could not travel. His father lives in a separate residence.“While he was in Rajasthan for his two-month vacation, his uncle asked him whether he was involved with a girl. He denied it. He arrived in Mumbai on Monday and attended the class and also spoke with his mother. On Tuesday, he did not respond to calls made by his mother,” said the police.“At 10.30 pm, his mother called again on the deceased’s phone, but there was no response. This made them to call the IIT-B security officials who visited the Room No G-4147 of Hostel No 4, which locked from inside. The guards and other students from the adjacent rooms broke open the door to find the deceased,” said a Powai police station official.“Some students said the deceased might have taken the extreme step due to a failed affair and seemed to be depressed. The team is probing all angles to ascertain the motive,” said the officer.While IIT-B officials did not comment on the tragedy, an email sent by the institute’s director Shireesh Kedare to all students acknowledged the need to do much more for students’ well-being.The email stated: “There is an indication that he (the student) took his life due to personal reasons. The police are investigating the matter in detail.” Offering his condolences, the director added he was really disturbed that “in spite of strengthening the wellness support system, being proactive in supporting students through multiple workshops, interactions with alumni and faculty, this unfortunate incident has happened.”The mail further said: “We all, including the wardens, faculty advisors, course instructors as hall managers and staff have been taking efforts to reach out to students by being sensitive and alert. But it is clear that we need to do much more.”He further requested everyone’s support to deal with the situation and the challenge at hand in an effective manner.In Aug 2025, a fourth-year student from the same department had also died by suicide. At least 65 students across IITs took their lives between Jan 2021 and Dec 2025, show figures maintained by Global IIT Alumni Support Group.(Inputs by Yogita Rao)
