IIT Bombay student death: Police probe counseling history, review CCTV footage

Mumbai police are investigating the death of IIT Bombay student Naman Agarwal after learning that he had been seeking on-campus counseling and had become increasingly withdrawn in the days before the incident, officials said.

Agarwal, 21, a second-year BTech Civil Engineering student, died early after falling on Feb 4 from a hostel building inside the IIT Bombay campus in Powai.

During questioning, police recorded statements from several students, including his roommate, and were told that Agarwal had visited the institute hospital on Feb 2 and Feb 3, where he met the professional he was consulting.

Police said they recovered a one-page note written in Agarwal’s diary, which is being examined as part of the investigation. An officer said the statement of the professional he was consulting is expected to be recorded on Feb 5 to gather further details.

Friends described Agarwal as academically strong and quiet but said he had appeared reclusive in the days leading up to his death.

A resident of Hostel 3, Agarwal had gone to the newly inaugurated Hostel 4, from where he is suspected to have fallen around 1:30 am on Feb 4. Students who were awake at the time rushed to the spot after hearing a loud noise and alerted institute security.

“When Naman fell from the 9th floor, the hostel was mostly awake, as many students sleep late. Students heard a loud thud and rushed toward the source of the noise and were shocked by what they saw. Security was immediately alerted as students started gathering at the spot,” said another student.

Police are also reviewing CCTV footage from a camera installed on the terrace, which, according to an officer, shows Agarwal entering the terrace alone. On the night of Feb 4, students at IIT Bombay held a condolence meeting in his memory.

The viscera have been preserved and will be sent to the Kalina Forensic Laboratory for chemical analysis, the official added.

Outside the Rajawadi Hospital mortuary, where Agarwal’s body was kept, relatives described him as hardworking and gifted.

“He was able to get admission to the topmost IIT Bombay; that is proof enough to know how hardworking and bright he has been. It is impossible to believe that he was undergoing any kind of counseling,” said Pawan Kumar Goyal, a relative.

“I cancelled that plan after receiving a call about Naman’s death late night on Tuesday. His parents are out of town at this moment, so they have been asked to come back to our native place in Rajgadh tahsil in Rajasthan, where we will be taking Naman’s body,” Goyal said.

Agarwal’s father runs a food-grain business, and he has two sisters. “One of the two sisters is a chartered accountant, and the other is an engineering student (CAs). All three siblings have been academically bright,” Goyal said, adding that the family hoped for a conclusive investigation.

Police have registered the case as an Accidental Death Report. In the initial briefing, officers said no suicide note was found in Agarwal’s hostel room or at the spot. No official statement has been issued by IIT Bombay authorities so far.

The incident comes amid continued concern over student suicides at IITs, despite measures such as dedicated mental health counseling units and student support systems.

Government and institutional data show that more than 35 student suicides have been reported across IITs in the past five years.

Last month, on January 20, 2026, a PhD scholar from the Earth Sciences department at IIT Kanpur died by suicide, taking the total number of student suicides at that campus to 8 over the past two years.

Between 2019 and 2024, IITs, including Bombay, Madras, Kharagpur, and Kanpur, reported similar cases. In 2023 alone, at least 7 student suicides were recorded across IIT campuses.

Authorities have said that while academic pressure, personal issues, and mental health concerns are often cited, each case is examined individually. In many instances, the absence of suicide notes makes it difficult to determine immediate causes.

The investigation into Agarwal’s death is ongoing, and police said statements from hostel residents, friends, and faculty members will be recorded.