The death of a 21-year-old student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Guwahati has triggered widespread protests on the campus, with students accusing the administration of gross insensitivity towards both students and their families. The student, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, was found dead in his hostel room yesterday evening, marking the fourth such death at the institute this year.
Friends of the deceased student have alleged that the administration prioritized protocol over immediate action, delaying attempts to rescue the student. One of his friends, who requested anonymity, claimed that they saw the student hanging from a ceiling fan but were stopped by guards from breaking open the door.
“It took nearly 30 minutes to open the door. No one cared if he was alive. Even after we managed to enter, they didn’t allow the nurse to check his pulse,” the student said.
The students also accused the administration of attempting to cover up the incident by stopping them from notifying the student’s family and deleting video footage captured on their phones.
The student’s body remained in the room for eight hours before it was removed. The incident has fueled outrage, with students protesting the lack of effective mental health and support systems at the prestigious institute.The body has been sent to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital for a post-mortem. A response from the IIT-Guwahati administration is still awaited.