Rajasthan Research Scholar Dies by Suicide at IIT Kanpur, Jumps from PhD Apartment; Fifth Death in a Year

A suicide at IIT Kanpur has caused a stir. Ramsarup Ishram, a 25-year-old research scholar from Churu, took his own life by jumping from the sixth floor of the PhD apartment. This is the second death in 23 days and the fifth death in 11-12 months.

Churu News: An incident of suicide at IIT Kanpur has once again shaken the institution. On Tuesday, Ramswaroop Ishram, a research scholar from the Department of Earth Sciences, died by suicide by jumping from the sixth floor of the PhD apartment. This is the second suicide at the institute in the last 23 days, and the fifth death reported in the last 11-12 months.

Ramswaroop Ishram, 25, a resident of Girwarsar, Vidhasar, in the Churu district of Rajasthan, was pursuing his PhD in Earth Sciences at IIT Kanpur. He lived with his wife Manju and two-year-old daughter in flat number AA-21 of the SBRA building on the campus. This apartment is allocated to research scholars who are permitted to live with their families.

On Tuesday afternoon, Ramswaroop suddenly came out of his flat and jumped from the balcony in the corridor. While falling, he hit an electric pole and landed on the road. Upon receiving information about the incident, security personnel rushed to the spot and immediately took him to the hospital, but doctors declared him dead.

According to family members and sources associated with the institute, Ramswaroop had been struggling with anxiety for a long time and was undergoing counselling. Despite this, his taking such a step has once again raised questions about IIT's counselling system and mental health support system.

Five Research Scholars Dead So Far

The continuous incidents of suicide at IIT Kanpur have raised concerns about the effectiveness of the institute's student support policies. Five promising students and research scholars have died in the past year.

Although the institute claims that a counselling cell facility is available to help students cope with stress and efforts are being made to reduce academic pressure, the series of incidents does not seem to be stopping.

National Human Rights Commission to Respond

Notably, IIT Kanpur is scheduled to respond to the National Human Rights Commission on January 22 regarding the suicide cases. A suicide case from December has already been included in a writ petition filed in 2024. Preparations are now underway to merge the death of Ramswaroop Ishram into the same writ.