IIT-Kgp PhD scholar found dead in hostel; 5th such case this year

KOLKATA/KHARAGPUR: A 27-year-old PhD scholar from mechanical engineering department at IIT-Kharagpur was found dead in his room Saturday. This is the fifth unnatural death on campus this year, and sixth in the past 12 months.

Harsh Kumar Pandey from Ranchi had taken admission in the PhD programme in Jan. Police suspect he died by suicide , but a formal statement will be issued after the autopsy on Sunday.

According to campus sources, Harsh appeared disturbed and depressed of late after performing poorly in an exam. "He was seen roaming alone in the hostel. His performance in two consecutive exams had not been good," said a student. The institute said it was extending full cooperation to the authorities.