IIT Delhi Mourns Another Loss: Maharashtra Student's Death Raises Concerns

New Delhi- In the bustling academic hub surrounding IIT Delhi, where dreams of engineering prowess and success converge, a somber cloud looms over the community as yet another student tragedy unfolds.

In another case of suspected suicide, a student named Varad Sanjay Nerkar, an M. Tech student at IIT Delhi, was found dead inside his room. He was a resident of Dronagiri hostel. In a letter to the students, the authorities informed that Varad was found hanging in his room, which was locked from inside, late at night on February 15. The police have taken custody of his mortal remains.

The Mooknayak spoke to Rohit Meena, DCP South West, New Delhi. He said, "When he did not answer the phone, the family members asked his hostel mates to check on him. When the other students went to his room, they found it locked from inside. They informed the hostel guard, who broke open the door. Nerkar's body was found hanging from the ceiling of the room." He also informed that the body of the deceased has been taken into custody for post-mortem proceedings, and no suicide letter was found.

"It's devastating news that one of the MTech students of IIT Delhi named Varad Sanjay Nerkar took his own life in the hostel. Let's remember to support each other through these tough times. Hope things improve soon," said Voice of IITD on Twitter.

Unconfirmed sources said that the deceased belonged to the OBC category from Nasik in Maharashtra.

Ber Sarai, Katwaria Sarai, and Zia Sarai in South Delhi are Delhi Villages bustling with students, most of whom are preparing for Engineering jobs and entrance exams.

Quite a few students here study for IIT Entrance Exams. The shops here overflow with books as workers struggle to catch a breath during busy hours. These areas lie in the vicinity of IIT Delhi, a coveted institute for most students. "Getting inside this is my dream," says Shobit from Mirzapur in eastern Uttar Pradesh, pointing to the gate of IIT Delhi. Shobit is preparing for GATE.

However, the news of IIT students committing suicide serves as a confidence crumbler for such students.

IIT Delhi has seen at least four deaths within a span of a year, two of which occurred within a period of two months. Ayush Ashna from Bareilly committed suicide on July 10 last year, closely followed by the death of Anil Kumar in Vidhyanchal hostel. The common thread connecting both students was that not only did they belong to the same department and batch (2019), but they also belonged to the same category, i.e., Scheduled Castes. In fact, this is what connects most of the suicide victims across the institutes of higher studies.

The peer pressure of studies has been attributed to most of the cases of suicides at IITs and various other institutes of higher education in India.

In response to growing concerns, IIT Kanpur recently reached an agreement with students to implement a no-termination policy, following demonstrations against multiple suicides on campus.

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