A 19-year-old student at the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT) allegedly jumped from the fourth floor of Vidhyanchal Hostel inside the Delhi campus, on Wednesday morning. He sustained multiple fractures in the fall and is being treated at AIIMS. His condition is now stable, police said.
This came a day after IIT was in the spotlight over a professor confining himself, along with his wife, to his house in Kanpur. Nitish Kumar Purti, an Engineering Physics student had come to IIT last year. Police said he was depressed as he was forced to take up the course and was unable to cope with the pressure.
It was around 4 am, when Purti’s roommate Abhinandan asked him to accompany him downstairs for a walk. Purti reportedly asked him to call a security guard for some help. When Abhinandan went downstairs, Purti reportedly went to the balcony on the fourth floor and jumped. Abhinandan heard a loud thud and found Purti on the ground, bleeding profusely.
He then called for help and Purti was rushed to the hospital by his friends and police were also informed. “A PCR call was made by students at 4.50 am. We have not yet found any suicide note but it appears that Purti was depressed. If he was on anti-depressant or not is yet to be verified. We are waiting for his family members to reach here from Ranchi,” a police officer said.
“He has suffered multiple fractures on his hands and legs. He has been admitted to AIIMS for treatment. Investigation till now has revealed that he did not wish to study the subject at the university but was forced to” a police officer said.
Police have not yet registered any case in the matter and will only be recording statements of his teachers, friends and parents. “His friends told us that he did not like the subjects he took and was forced to pursue them, though the claim is yet to be verified. We will be recording statements of his teachers and parents too. Once he is fit for statement, he will also be questioned. No case has been registered till now. We are only inquiring,” a senior police officer said.
lok Sabha had, on Tuesday passed mental healthcare bill which decriminalised suicide attempt. However, the bill has not been notified so far.