IIT-K PhD student death: 28-year-old found hanging from a ceiling hook in a hostel room

The body of a 28-year-old PhD student at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) was found hanging from a ceiling hook on Oct 10, marking the fourth suicide case at the institution in the past year.

Pursuing her PhD in Earth Sciences, Pragati Kharya, died by suicide inside her hostel room D-116 in hall number 4. The police found a note at the scene in which she took full responsibility for her death.

The woman's body has been sent to the mortuary for a post-mortem examination. Family members have also arrived at IIT-K, according to police.

She died during the intervening night Oct 9-10, but the matter came to light the next day around noon after her hostel mates alerted the authorities, police said.

A mobile phone has also been recovered from the hostel room that might aid in solving the reason for the apparent suicide, they said.

"A police forensic team has visited the campus to investigate the circumstances of the death. The Institute is awaiting the results of the police investigation to determine the cause. With Pragati Kharya's passing, the institute has lost a promising young researcher. The institute extends its deepest condolences and prays for strength and comfort to her family and friends in this time of great loss," IIT Kanpur said in an official statement.

According to a top police official, the student's room was locked when they reached the hostel. The door was broken to recover the body and a forensic team was called to collect the evidence, they said.

The 28-year-old completed her BSc from Delhi University's Hansraj College and her MSc from Bundelkhand University in Jhansi.

In January, a 29-year-old PhD student, Priyanka Jaiswal, studying Chemical Engineering, allegedly took her own life inside her locked hostel room.

Just a week earlier before Jaiswal's incident, a 31-year-old M.Tech second-year student, Vikas Kumar Meena, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his IIT Kanpur hostel room, allegedly after being “temporarily” suspended from his course.

Last year in December, a 34-year-old postdoctoral researcher, Pallavi Chilka, was discovered hanging from the ceiling fan in her second-floor hostel room on campus.