22-year-old student found dead on IIT Bombay campus

The deceased, who hailed from Delhi, was a fourth-year student and was waiting for the placement process to begin.

MUMBAI: A 22-year-old student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay was found dead at the Powai campus in the early hours on Saturday. He is suspected to have fallen from the terrace of a hostel building, from the tenth floor. Police said the cause of death is not clear and investigations are still underway.

Mumbai, India - February 20, 2023: Posse of policemen deployed outside IIT Bombay after students protest seeking justice for 18-year-old Dalit student Darshan Solanki, who died by suicide on February 12 inside IIT Bombay, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, February 20, 2023. (Praful Gangurde / HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

The deceased, who hailed from Delhi, was a fourth-year student and was waiting for the placement process to begin. “The incident was reported at 2.30am by the hostel authorities,” said deputy commissioner of police (zone 10) Datta Nalawade.

Powai police said the deceased and a few other students had ordered dinner and took it up to the terrace of a hostel building on Friday night. After they had dinner, all of them left, except for the deceased. At around 1.00am, his colleagues found his body at the base of the building. He appears to have fallen from the terrace, police said, adding that his colleagues took him to a nearby hospital but he was declared dead on admission.

Police are recording the statements of the hostel mates of the deceased and the teaching staff, to assess his state of mind. They say preliminary investigations have found no evidence of foul play. No suicide note has been found but police are investigating the case as a possible suicide or accidental death. The body has been sent to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar East for post-mortem examination.