Yogesh K Porwar
Two research scholars of the Indian Institute of Science,(IISc),Bengaluru,died unnaturally inside the campus in different circumstances on Tuesday.
While one PhD student ended his life by committing suicide while the other collapsed and died later in the hospital while he was playing football at the institute ground.
The deceased has been identified as Randhir Kumar,(36),a final year PhD scholar with the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering and Rahul Prathap,(31),a mechanical engineering scholar pursuing MTech.
Both the incidents happened on the evening of March 2 .
Senior officer told reporters,the suicide came to light when Randhir Kumar’s friends worried after he was not receiving their phone calls.
It was around 8.30 pm when Kumar’s friends informed the staff and security officer that they suspect something fishy and asked to check.
Since his hostel room was locked from inside, they broke open a window to see him hanging from the ceiling fan.The police were informed who rushed to the spot,forced opened the door and began investigation.
There was no death note and Kumar’s phone and laptop have been taken by the police to obtain clues as to why he had taken the extreme step.
Kumar’s family members in Bihar have been informed and they are on the way to the city to take his body,the police said.
His few friends shared with the police that Kumar was under depression over a period of time and prefered staying alone .
The Sadashivanagar police have taken up a case of unatural death and are investigating.
In the second incident,another research scholar Rahul Pratap was playing football at the Gymkhana ground on Tuesday evening.
It was around 8.30 pm when he suddenly collapsed on the ground.His friends after administrating first-aid rushed him to MS Ramaiah Hospital where he was declared brought dead.His parents were also informed by the IISc authorities soon after the incident.
The Sadashivanagar police have taken up both the cases and are investigating.
We are awaiting post mortem report to persue the cases and also awaiting to question other student who were around at the time of incident, a senior officer said.
Meanwhile, reacting to the incident, the registrar of IISc said in the press release, “We are extremely saddened to report the deaths of two students on the campus. Kumar was pursuing his PhD in the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering. We strongly urge IISc community members to reach out to and seek help from the following facilities and wellness resources: 24 x 7 emergency call service for anyone needing to talk to a mental health professional (Phone number: 080-47113444) and online counselling and support via YourDost platform.”
(If you are having thoughts of suicide or are in emotional distress, help is available. You can get in touch with the SAHAI helpline at 080-25497777, open from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 10 pm and 104 Arogya Sahayavani which is available 24/7.)
