IIT Kanpur
Credit: PTI File Photo
Kanpur: A 26-year-old final-year B Tech student of IIT Kanpur was found dead in his hostel room on Monday, police said.
A note with the words "Sorry Everyone" was recovered from the room, said Assistant Commissioner of Police (Kalyanpur) Ashutosh Kumar.
The student, Jai Singh Meena, a native of Ajmer in Rajasthan, was enrolled in the Biological Sciences and Bioengineering programme. He was staying in Room No 148 of E-Block at the campus hostel.
According to police, Meena was found hanging from a ceiling fan with a bedsheet.
Preliminary examination suggests he may have cut his wrists before hanging himself.
The incident came to light after Meena failed to answer repeated phone calls from his family. Concerned relatives contacted one of his friends, who was away on vacation, and subsequently alerted other hostel residents. When knocks on the door went unanswered, students looked through a window and saw him hanging inside the room.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur administration informed Kalyanpur police, who broke open the door and recovered the body. A forensic team later examined the room and collected evidence.
Kumar said a handwritten note has been found and the body has been sent for postmortem examination.
"Initial investigation points towards suicide. All aspects are being thoroughly examined, and further legal action will follow based on the findings," he added.
The institute said Meena joined IIT Kanpur in July 2020 and described him as a bright and promising student. The campus is currently observing winter vacation, which began on December 28, and he was reportedly planning to return home.
The aggrieved family is expected to reach Kanpur on Tuesday, after which formalities will be completed.
The incident has left the campus in shock, with the administration expressing condolences to the bereaved family.