Basar, Telangana: A 17-year-old student of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge and Technologies (RGUKT), also known as IIIT Basar, was found dead in her hostel room on Monday. Sai Priya, a second-year Pre-University Course (PUC) student from Armoor, Nizamabad district, was reportedly found hanging from the ceiling fan.

According to police, Sai Priya was alone in her room when her roommates left for breakfast on Monday morning. Upon their return, they discovered her body and alerted university authorities. Police were informed and an investigation is underway. A suicide note was found in the room, but the motive behind the girl's decision remains unclear. The body was sent to be autopsied.

This is IIIT Basar's first suicide since the new Vice-Chancellor took charge. However, the university has been grappling with a series of student suicides in recent years. Six IIIT Basar students committed suicide in 2023.

In April, another second-year PUC student, B. Arvind, 17, from Siddipet district, allegedly died by suicide in his hostel room two days before exams. February saw the death of a 17-year-old female student who was reportedly unable to cope with the loss of a relative.

Other student suicides at IIIT Basar in 2023 include a 19-year-old engineering student in November who was depressed after his mother's death, a 17-year-old PUC first-year student in August who was suspected of being homesick, and a female PUC first-year student in June who died under suspicious circumstances after falling from the fourth floor of her hostel building.

Two suicides were reported at the university in 2022.