IIT-Kanpur student hangs self in hostel room

Kanpur (UP): A 31-year-old M.Tech second-year student allegedly hanged himself from the ceiling fan in his hostel room at the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur, police said on Thursday.

The motive was not immediately clear but a police official said the student had been "temporarily" removed from the course after he failed three exam papers. However, students are usually allowed to retake these exams.

The body of Vikas Kumar Meena, a resident of Meerut, was found hanging in his room on Wednesday, the police said.

Meena was enrolled on an M.Tech course in the Department of Aerospace Engineering in 2021.

During interrogation, other students staying in the hostel told police that on the day of the incident, they found Meena's room locked from inside and he did not respond to their repeated calls, Additional DCP (ADCP) West, Akash Patel said.

Once the hostel authorities were informed, the door was broken open and Meena was found hanging with the ceiling fan, the ADCP said further.

The victim was rushed to the IIT's health centre from where he was taken to Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital where he was declared dead, Kalyanpur Station House Officer (SHO) Dhananjay Pandey said.

The police are trying to trace a "suicide note" that is being circulated among some people, the ADCP told PTI.

"There is one soft copy, said to be the suicide note, which is circulating among some people but we are yet to get a hard copy. We are tracing it," the ADCP told PTI.

A senior police official pleading anonymity said Meena was "temporarily" terminated after he failed three exam papers, which allegedly pushed him to severe depression and it could be a reason behind the extreme step.

By issuing a press release, the IIT-Kanpur administration has mourned the tragic and untimely demise of Meena.

"A forensic team has taken stock of the matter. The institute is awaiting further investigation by the police to determine the likely cause of death," the statement said.

With Vikas' passing, the institute lost a young and promising student, the release added.