A 24-year-old post doctoral student of computer science and animation, Ameya Manoj Chutke, committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling fan inside his hostel room past Tuesday midnight at the Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Bangalore. The police suspect that Ameya, who hails from Nagpur, Maharashtra, may have been suffering from depression which led him take the extreme step.
Ameya's body was found by his colleagues when they went inside the room and they later informed the police. He had completed his masters (MTech) in computer architecture and was pursuing research in the department of computer science and automation.
The police investigation later revealed that Ameya had used a plastic rope to hang himself from the ceiling fan. He had made a last call to his mother on Tuesday evening and spoke to her for half an hour. A few hours later, he committed suicide, the police said.
Ameya was suffering from depression and was being treated at NIMHANS as well as at the IISC campus, the police said after reviewing his medical records. His parents took his body back to Nagpur for the last rites.
No let-up in student suicide cases in the country
Despite the rising cases of depression, anxiety and other psychological issues the students in India face, the authorities have failed to check the alarming student suicide rates in the country. In 2018, various cases of student suicide were reported from some of the premier institutions in the country including IIT- Guwahati, IIT-Kanpur and IIT- Madras.
A task force set up by the IIT council to look into the issue noted that the recurring pattern of the media glorifying achievers has put the students under a lot of stress. It also entailed that the students who are already facing a fierce academic environment should be given enough time for leisure activities as well as socialising.
A probe by IIT Kanpur revealed that the problem of single-room occupancy in the hostel rooms should be done away with. The IITs should also remove ceiling fans from hostel rooms and use pedestal fans, it said.
