IIT Kharagpur has been hit by another student suicide — the fourth one in just a year.
On Friday, July 18, a 21-year-old B.Tech student named Ritam Mondal was found hanging in his hostel room at Rajendra Prasad Hall. He was in his fourth year of studying mechanical engineering and was originally from Kolkata.
What Happened?
According to his hostel mates, Ritam had dinner on Thursday night and returned to his room. Everything seemed normal, and there were no signs of anything being wrong.
The next morning, when Ritam didn’t open his door despite repeated knocks, security and police were informed. They broke open the door and found him hanging inside.
The police have registered a case (FIR), and the institute has said they are fully cooperating with the investigation. His family has also been informed
No Signs of Mental Health Issues
The institute shared that Ritam had recently come back to campus after the summer break. He had resumed his classes and, according to their counseling records and faculty, there were no signs of stress, mental health issues, or academic problems.
The institute has formed a fact-finding committee to investigate what led to this tragic incident.
Previous Suicides at IIT Kharagpur
Ritam’s death is the fourth suicide reported from the campus in a year.
- May 2025: Mohammed Asif Qamar, a third-year civil engineering student, was found dead in his hostel. He was reportedly on a video call before the incident.
- April 2025: Aniket Walkar, a fourth-year ocean engineering student, was also found hanging in his room.
- January 2025: Shaon Malik, a third-year student, was found dead in his hostel.
- June 2024: Devika Pillai, a fourth-year biotech student, died by suicide on campus.
These repeated incidents have raised serious concerns about student well-being at one of India’s top engineering institutions.
