MUMBAI: A day after his second-year classes 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.“We suspect a failed relationship might have been behind the student’s extreme step taken on Tuesday night. We found a notebook in which he had scribbled a half-page note and his depression. He did not mention a suicide plan in the note,” said a Powai police station officer.The student had returned to IIT-B from his Rajasthan home on Monday. His mother called IIT-B security officials from Rajasthan after dozens of WhatsApp calls to her son went unanswered between 5 pm and 10.30 pm.Police have seized his phone and sent it for forensic analysis to extract the contents as they suspect he might have deleted his chat history.Police have registered an accidental death report and said they are probing the matter under Section 194 of BNSS, 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 dead in the hostel room, the police said.“His uncle arrived 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 his inconsolable mother 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 a police official.“At 10.30 pm, his mother called again on the deceased’s phone, but there was no response. She then called IIT-B security officials who visited Room No G-4147 of Hostel No 4, which was 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 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 email 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)
