The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur has been rocked by yet another student death, the sixth on campus this year, sparking renewed concern over student well-being at one of India’s premier engineering institutes.
On Saturday afternoon, police recovered the hanging body of a student from B.R. Ambedkar Hall of Residence. The deceased was identified as Harshkumar Pandey, a native of Jharkhand. Police from Hijli outpost under Kharagpur Town police station removed the body after being alerted around 2 p.m.
“We have started an investigation. The exact cause of death will only be known after the post-mortem,” a district police officer said.
This latest incident adds to a troubling pattern of deaths at IIT Kharagpur. Five of the six fatalities this year have involved students found hanging in their hostel rooms.
In January, the body of Shoan Malik was discovered, followed by the deaths of Aniket Walkar in April and Mohammad Asif Qamar in March. In July, two deaths occurred within days: on 18 July, Ritam Mondal, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student from Kolkata, was found hanging in his hostel, while on 21 July, Chandradeep Pawar, a second-year electrical engineering student from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, choked to death after reportedly swallowing medicine.
The series of incidents has raised urgent questions about mental health and counselling support at IIT Kharagpur, an institution renowned for academic excellence but often criticised for its high-pressure environment. Student groups and alumni have repeatedly urged the administration to expand counselling services, while parents of current students have voiced alarm over safety and supervision in hostels.
While the police have not confirmed foul play in any of the cases, the recurring nature of the deaths has cast a shadow over campus life. “It is deeply distressing. Every few months we hear of another death,” said a third-year student who requested anonymity.
The institute has yet to issue an official statement on Pandey’s death.
