IIT Kharagpur Suicide: 21-Year-Old Found Hanging In Hostel Room 4Th Case In A Year

(MENAFN- Live Mint) IIT Kharagpur is once again grappling with the death of a student - the fourth such case in a year. A 21-year-old B Tech student of the varsity was found hanging in his hostel room on Friday, July 18.

Ritam Mondal, a fourth-year student enrolled in the mechanical engineering program, was found hanging in his room at Rajendra Prasad (RP) Hall hostel building, an institute official told PTI.

How did the incident come to light

The IIT Kharagpur student originally from Kolkata, had returned to his room at Rajendra Prasad Hall after dinner on Thursday night.“There was nothing unusual in his behaviour,” one of his hostel mates said, still struggling to process the news, reported PTI.

The next morning, when repeated knocks on Ritam's door went unanswered, the campus security and police stationed at the IIT outpost were alerted. They broke open the door - only to find him hanging inside.

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The institute has since filed an FIR and said it is fully cooperating with the investigation.

The student's family has also been informed, the official said.

'No indicator of mental health concern'

The fourth year student had recently returned to the IIT Kharagpur campus following the summer vacation.

The varsity stated that no abnormalities had been noticed in the 21-year-old's behaviour, nor was there any“indicator of mental health concern.”

"Mondal had resumed his classes. As per the records reviewed from the Institute's SARTH Counselling Centre, there were no prior indicators of mental health concerns. The faculty advisor from the department also mentioned that there were no apparent academic and non-academic issues that caught their attention. The administration has initiated the process of filing an FIR and the needful action as per law," the statement added.

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IIT Kharagpur also said that a fact-finding committee has been constituted to investigate the incident.

IIT Kharagpur suicide: Previous cases

Ritam Mondal's death marks the fourth such tragic case at IIT Kharagpur, in a year.

• In May 2025, Mohammed Asif Qamar, a third-year civil engineering student was found dead in his hostel room, triggering a police probe. He had reportedly been on a video call moments before the incident, and authorities summoned the person on the other end for questioning
• Asif Qamar's death was preceded by a similar case in April. A fourth-year ocean engineering and naval architecture student, Aniket Walkar was discovered hanging in his hostel. This was the third suicide in under a year, at the IIT Kharagpur campus.
• In January, the body of a third-year undergraduate student, Shaon Malik, was found in his hostel room.

In June last year, Devika Pillai, a fourth-year student of biotechnology and biochemical engineering, also died by suicide on the campus.

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