IIT student tries to kill self, cops say ‘was under stress’
A 19-year-old student at the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT) allegedly jumped off from the fourth floor of Vidhyanchal Hostel on the Delhi campus, on Wednesday morning. He sustained multiple fractures in the fall and is being treated at AIIMS. His condition is now stable.
Nitish Kumar Purti, an Engineering Physics student and a native of Ranchi, had joined IITDelhi in 2016. Police said that he was depressed as he was forced to take up the course and was unable to cope with the pressure.
It was around 4am, 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 the police was also informed. “A PCR call was made by students at 4.50am. 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. Further inquiry is on,” 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 a Mental Healthcare Bill which decriminalised suicide attempt. However, the bill has not been notified so far.
The string of suicides last year at IIT Madras had led to questions over the functioning of the country’s premier institutes. The IITs have frequently been in the eye of storm over the stress among students to first make it to the institute and then maintain grades. In January this year, a student of IIT Kharagpur had committed suicide by throwing himself before a moving train. The third-year civil engineering student was allegedly suffering from depression.