Lucknow, April 26: The shadow of suicides on IIT Kanpur refuses to go away.

A third-year civil engineering student threw himself before a speeding train last night, taking the number of suicides on the campus to four since December 2005.

J. Bharadwaja, 21, walked a kilometre to the tracks running along the institute.

The suicide left professors and fellow students stunned.

“Let us not talk about it. I have never heard of a student suicide more grisly, and the kind of hate for oneself that can provoke it,” said Arun Srivastava, a second-year student.

Bharadwaja’s dismembered body, found by the Government Railway Police on the tracks this morning, will be flown to his Hyderabad home tomorrow, IIT sources said.

Bharadwaja’s roommate said he showed no signs of abnormal behaviour. “He didn’t seem disturbed,” said Aswini Kumar.

The two were together till 10.30 last night.

Bharadwaja is believed to have left the campus, about 25 km from Kanpur town, around 11 pm. No suicide note has been found.

The institute’s professors said Bharadwaja was an introvert, so they had no way of knowing what he was going through.

“We know so many students who undergo counselling. We keep watch on them, but what can we do if students under depression don’t seek help?” said Prabal Sinha, the dean of student affairs.

Sinha said Bharadwaja had no history of depression, but it is possible that, like many others, he had not sought help.

The 45 students who have been put through counselling to cope with depression are believed to be doing well, sources said. But now, after Bharadwaja’s suicide, many in the faculty are not sure if they have cracked the problem.

“The latest incident has made us rethink,” said Kripa Shankar, the institute’s deputy director.

In many ways, the campus isn’t getting a chance to get over the tragedies. In the previous suicide on November 6 last year, G.J. Abhilash, hanged himself from a fan in his hostel room.

Two bottles of white fluids and a suicide note were found next to the body of the 28-year-old research student who had just submitted his chemistry PhD thesis.

“I lost interest in life long ago, but waited for my brother to get married on November 3. I believe I am unfit to live in this world. No one is responsible for my suicide,” Abhilash, who was from Kerala, wrote in the suicide note.