IIIT-Ranchi student found hanging in hostel; students allege delay in medical help

A first-year student of the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Ranchi, was found hanging in his hostel room, prompting protests on campus over allegations that the institute’s authorities failed to provide timely medical assistance, police said on Sunday.

The deceased, identified as Aditya, was aged between 19 and 20 and hailed from Purnia district in Bihar, police said.

The incident came to light on Saturday night after hostel inmates alerted the institute administration when they found the student’s room locked from the inside.

Khelgaon police station in-charge Nirbhay Kumar said a preliminary investigation suggested that examination pressure may have led the student to die by suicide. The examinations had begun on October 8, he said.

The body was sent to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for a post-mortem examination.

Following the incident, hundreds of students protested on the campus, accusing the institute’s administration of failing to act promptly when the student needed medical attention.

Vaibhav, another first-year student, alleged that the institute’s ambulance did not have a driver and that the hostel warden prevented students from attempting cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

“The college authorities took no accountability; their ambulance had no driver. No one was ready to pick him up and take him to the hospital. The warden stopped us from giving him CPR to save his life,” he told media persons.

Vaibhav also disputed the circumstances surrounding the death, describing it as a murder rather than a suicide. His allegation was not independently established in the information provided.

The protesters raised slogans against the institute administration and demanded justice for the student.