A 21-year-old fourth-year biotechnology student at IIT Kharagpur named Devika Pillai was discovered hanging from the top of the Sarojini Naidu and Indira Gandhi Hall on Monday morning
Around seven in the morning, students noticed the body of Devika Pillai hanging from the two-story building’s roof and informed the campus’s medical staff and security. They revealed that Pillai, a native of Kerala, was receiving therapy for mental health conditions like depression.
Who is Devika Pillai as IIT Kharagpur student commits suicide, death reason, biography, age, batch and hometown birth place
Devika Pillai from Evoor, a fourth-year Kerala student studying biotechnology and biochemical engineering had returned to university a few days back. After her tragic demise, her body has been transported to Kharagpur Sub-Divisional Hospital for post-mortem examination. At the time of her passing, Pillai was 21 years old with her found dead on Monday at 7am.
IIT Kharagpur Student Found Dead on Campus Devika Pillai, a third-year student at IIT Kharagpur, was found dead on campus, prompting a police investigation. This incident raises concerns about campus safety. #IITKharagpur #StudentDeath #CampusSafety pic.twitter.com/uHbrDFS7af
— Daily Aakashvani (@Daily_Akashvani) June 18, 2024
“She was General Secretary, Social and Cultural, Sarojini Naidu/Indira Gandhi Hall. She was pursuing a summer internship under a professor in-charge, Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology. The institute is devastated by this tragic event,” the institute said.
IIT Kharagpur said the institute was devastated by the tragedy. Their statement read, “Cops and her family have been informed. Cops are conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances of Pillai’s death and the institute is cooperating in the probe.”
Authorities reported that on Monday night, a postmortem investigation was carried out.
According to a senior police officer, preliminary investigations suggested that it might be a suicide, but it is too soon to make a firm diagnosis.
Other deaths in IIT Kharagpur
Since 2022, Pillai’s death marks the third student death on the campus of IIT Kharagpur. Faizan Ahmed, a student of mechanical engineering, passed away in October of that year. The Assam boy’s parents accused college authorities for his murder, despite the college administration’s initial claim that he committed himself.
This led the Calcutta High Court to establish a special investigative team to look into the matter. In October of 2023, K Kiran Chandra, a student studying electrical engineering, committed suicide on campus.
On Monday, a lot of people on campus expressed concern about the conditions surrounding Pillai’s body discovery. They questioned how Pillai, who resided in A Block, could access the B-Block roof given that students were not allowed on dorm roofs.
The mother of IIT Kharagpur student Faizan Ahmed, whose lifeless body was discovered in the dorm about two years ago, expressed optimism on Saturday that her son would receive justice after a forensic expert who was appointed by the court concluded that her son “may have been hit by an object and shot at.”