A fourth-year BTech student from Maharashtra was found hanging in his hostel room at IIT Kharagpur on Sunday evening.

This was the third student death on the campus in 10 months, triggering renewed concerns about their fragile mental health and the institute’s apparent lack of concern.

Aniket Walkar, who studied ocean engineering and naval architecture, was from Maharashtra’s Gondia district. He was found hanging in his room at the JC Bose Hall of Residence.

A preliminary probe suggested Walkar died by suicide, said an officer of Kharagpur Town police station, where an unnatural death case was registered. If the post-mortem report confirms Walkar killed himself, it will be the second suicide at the institute since January and the fourth in less than three years (see chart).

The deaths lend further credence to allegations that one of the top educational institutes in the country has done little to address mental health concerns among students.

In January, a third-year BTech student was found hanging in his hostel room when his parents had come to meet him. Shaon Malik, from Kasba’s Rajdanga, was found hanging in his room at the Azad Hall of Residence.

On Monday, the public relations office of the institute issued a statement saying: “Mr. Walkar passed away in his room at J.C. Bose Hall of Residence in the evening of April 20, 2025.... Mr. Walkar’s family was also contacted and apprised of the incident.”

The statement said: “An investigation is currently underway by the police to ascertain the circumstances surrounding this tragic event.... IIT Kharagpur community is devastated with the untimely demise of such a young bright student.

“As the campus community collectively mourns the death of our beloved student, the authorities urge the students to avail counselling and support services available 24x7 at the Institute should they feel need for such support.”

The institute rescheduled an exam slated for Monday to April 26.

Reports said Walkar’s classmates alerted campus security and the police after he did not open his room door.

A teacher of the institute said: “One death after another on the campus is extremely tragic. It shows we have done precious little on assuaging the mental health concerns of the students.”

“Almost all the students who have lost their lives are senior students. It suggests that the students are having to deal with a lot as their courses progress,” said another teacher, who requested anonymity.

Before Malik, in June 2024, Devika Pillai, a third-year BTech student, was found hanging on the premises of the Sarojini Naidu/Indira Gandhi Hall of Residence on the campus.

She studied bioscience and biotechnology.

The institute has around 17,000 students but only a handful of “overburdened” counsellors.

In October 2022, students at IIT Kharagpur told the institute director in an overnight open-house session that the campus that the authorities had done little to address mental health concerns among the students.

The outburst followed the death of Faizan Ahmed, an undergraduate student of mechanical engineering. Ahmed was found dead on the IIT Kharagpur campus on October 14 2022. The initial assumption was suicide, but discrepancies raised by Faizan’s family led to a deeper investigation.

Students at IIT Kharagpur had accused the authorities of “copy-pasting” an email that was circulated after Pillai had committed suicide in June 2024 and sending it again to the students after Malik’s death.

They accused the IIT administration of showing “no genuine concern for their students” apart from sending copied messages of condolence.