BTech student dies after jumping from IIT Guwahati hostel building: Police

In a statement on Monday, IIT Guwahati said that they are cooperating with the investigation and appealed against speculation

A Bachelor of Technology (BTech) student died on Sunday after allegedly jumping from the fifth floor of a hostel building at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, police said on Monday. The student had secured an internship with the multinational financial services company Goldman Sachs and was known as a bright student with an excellent academic record.

IIT Guwahati said that it is cooperating with the investigation.

An investigator said the student was rushed to a hospital, where he died during treatment. “His body has been sent for postmortem at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).”

The GMCH authorities refused to share the details regarding the cause of death while police awaited the postmortem report. “This is a sensitive matter. We are investigating thoroughly, so we cannot share the details. But yes, the student fell from the fifth floor and later died,” the investigator said

In a statement on Monday, IIT Guwahati said that they are cooperating with the investigation and appealed against speculation. The institute said the student’s parents from Odisha’s Puri are on their way to the campus. “...the Institute is in close contact with the family, providing all necessary support during this difficult time. This is a profound loss to our IITG family,” the statement said.

There have been a series of student deaths on the IIT Guwahati campus since 2022. In 2024, three students died within five months on the campus. The death of a third-year BTech Computer Science student from Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia in his room in September that year triggered protests. The protesters questioned the mental health support system and demanded reforms at the institute, established in 1994 as the first IIT in the Northeast.

IIT Guwahati maintained it has strengthened its mental health support system. “The Institute remains deeply committed to the mental health and well being of its students. Through the SAATHI Counselling Club and the Centre for Holistic Wellbeing, IIT Guwahati provides students with access to licensed counsellors and psychiatrists, including round-the-clock online counselling support,” the statement said.

The institute said it has four full-time counsellors on campus, mandatory counselling interactions for students, peer mentorship programmes for newcomers and regular outreach initiatives aimed at identifying signs of distress at an early stage. “We urge all students who may be struggling, or who know a friend who is struggling, to reach out to these support systems. We assure that no one on this campus has to face difficult times alone.”