PhD scholar at IIT-Kanpur jumps to death from building on campus

Kanpur (UP), Jan 20 (PTI) A 25-year-old PhD scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) died after allegedly jumping from the sixth floor of a campus residential building on Tuesday afternoon, police said.

The deceased was identified as Ramswroop Ishram, a research scholar in the Department of Earth Sciences, they said, adding that he had been residing in a room of the New SBRA Building along with his wife Manju and their three-year-old daughter.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) SM Qasim Abidi said preliminary investigation indicates that the student had been suffering from depression and anxiety for a prolonged period. He had undergone counselling on several occasions.

Kalyanpur police along with forensic experts reached the spot soon after receiving information and collected evidence. Ishram was rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.

The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and further legal proceedings are underway.

The police are questioning the deceased's wife as part of the investigation, DCP said.

Ishram hailed from Churu district in Rajasthan.

Expressing grief over the incident, IIT-K Director Manindra Agarwal told PTI that the institute had lost a promising researcher.

"With profound grief, IIT-K mourns the tragic and untimely demise of Ramswroop Ishram, a PhD scholar in the Department of Earth Sciences. He joined the Institute in July 2023. The Institute condoles his demise and prays for strength to the bereaved family," Agarwal added.

The incident comes close on the heels of another student's death on campus.

Earlier on December 29, Jai Singh Meena (26), a final-year BTech student enrolled in the Biological Sciences and Bioengineering programme, was found dead in his hostel room.

A note reading "Sorry Everyone" was recovered from his room in E-Block, Hostel No. 2, police had said. Meena was also a native of Ajmer, Rajasthan. PTI COR ABN NB NB