Lucknow, Jan. 7: The body of a BTech student from Sikkim was found hanging in a hostel of Motilal Nehru College of Engineering in Allahabad where he was studying.

Shobhit Agarwal (18), the only son of a businessman at Rhenock in Sikkim, was a first year student of information technology in the government-run college. The body was found in his room at Raman Hostel on the institute campus around 1.30pm today.

On January 2, a second year BTech student of the college, Sonal alias Parul, had shot herself dead with a revolver in a bathroom at her uncle’s place at Varanasi. The 18-year-old girl had taken the extreme step after faring badly in the examinations, police said.

Today, the hostel authorities informed the police when Shobhit did not open the door of his room even after repeated knocks by his friends around 1.30pm. The law enforcers found the youth hanging from the ceiling of the room. No suicide note was found.

A magisterial inquiry has been ordered.

“The student’s family has been informed in Sikkim,” said Vinod Yadav, the hostel superintendent and a teacher of the college. “We have been told that his relatives are already on their way. But we are afraid that they won’t be able to reach Allahabad before tomorrow afternoon.”

According to the teachers, Shobhit had scored “very high” 8.4 cumulative progress index. “He was a brilliant student and we all liked him. But we don’t know why he ended his life,” said Yadav

Shobhit had returned to his room around 12.30 last night After that, he had watched a movie on his laptop till 3.30am and had gone to bed around 4am, a friend said.

“When we went to his room around 9am today, he told us he was not feeling well and would like to skip classes,” Devesh Rai, a friend, said. “Tum Log jao. Mere ko parshan na karo (Please leave me alone. Don’t disturb me),” he told us.

At 1.30pm, when the students came back to the hostel, they found Shobhit’s room locked from inside. “Our repeated knocks failed to fetch any reply. We then informed the authorities,” Devesh told The Telegraph over phone.

Suresh Bhatt, an officer of Allahabad police who is investigating the case, said they were keeping all options open. “It could be suicide because of depression. We are studying if there was an incident of ragging.The laptop of the student which we have seized might give us a clue.”

The student’s father, Ashoke Agarwal, who owns a garment shop in Rhenok, about 50km from Gangtok, is currently on a tour to Ujjain.

Binod Agarwal said: “The news is very shocking as my cousin was a studious boy. He had just returned from home a few days ago. His father has been informed.”

Shobhit’s uncle Bijay Agarwal and another relative left for Allahabad today.