265 - Kharagpur Confessions - Face Book

Kharagpur Confessions April 2 ·

Kharagpur, March 30: An IIT Kharagpur student hailing from Rajasthan was today found hanging from the ceiling of his hostel room and a note found on his bed said: “Mother, forgive me.”

Police said Lokesh Kumar Goyel, 22, a fourth-year chemical engineering student, apparently committed suicide because he was suffering from “some kind of depression”.

The alleged suicide comes days after another IIT student from Andhra Pradesh hanged himself to death on March 17, upset with not getting the job of his choice.

It could not be immediately confirmed if Lokesh, who was described by IIT authorities as a good student and a jovial person, was unhappy with any job interview.

A police officer said: “We found a three-line note lying on the bed addressed to his mother. The note said: ‘Mother forgive me for what I have done in four years’. However, the lines were scratched out with a pencil. We suspect the student was suffering from some kind of depression. We are waiting for the post-mortem report.”

IIT registrar Tapan Kumar Ghosal said the news of Lokesh’s death came as a “shock” to him. “It was a shock. He was a good student and performed well in his semesters. He was a jovial person, too. Yesterday, he had dinner with his friends in the hostel. We are surprised at the turn of events. We have informed the student’s family at Khanna in Karauli district of Rajasthan,” Ghosal said.

He added that Lokesh was preparing for an internship in Mumbai.

The body of Lokesh was today found by his friends who had come to call him for dinner. Doctors said the 22-year-old had died at least six to seven hours before being brought to the hospital.

“It was around 7.20pm and we were going for dinner. I went to call him but found the door of his room bolted from inside. When he did not respond to repeated knocking, I called some other inmates of the hostel and broke the door. We found him hanging from the ceiling fan. We informed the authorities and called an ambulance.”

A police officer said preliminary examination had revealed that Lokesh had tried to cut the veins of his left wrist and left leg but was unsuccessful.

The police said a team arrived from the station just outside the IIT campus within five minutes of being informed and brought down the body.

“When we took the student to B.C. Roy Hospital on the campus, doctors declared him dead on arrival,” a police officer said.

Today’s was the second alleged suicide at IIT Kharagpur in a month. On March 17, Boga Shravan, a student from Andhra Pradesh pursuing MTech in computer science, committed suicide as the job he got in a university offered a much lower salary than what he had aimed for.

On March 11, Shoaib Ahmed, an IIT Guwahati student hailing from North 24-Parganas, was found hanging from the ceiling of his hostel room. IIT Guwahati director Gautam Biswas had said Shoaib’s friends had told the authorities that the student had been suffering from depression. His family had contested the claim.

264 - IIT boy’s father smells foul play in death - Telegraph India

IIT boy’s father smells foul play in death  

SOUMEN BHATTACHARJEE 

Shoaib Ahmed, the IIT student found dead

Basirhat, March 12: The father of the IIT Guwahati student found hanging in his hostel room yesterday has contested the claim that his son committed suicide and has alleged foul play. “We don’t believe that Shoaib (Ahmed) committed suicide. Have you ever heard that one commits suicide by keeping the door of his room open? There is foul play behind my son’s death,” said Mustaq Ahmed, the 22-year-old’s father who lives in North 24-Parganas’ Bhabla and teaches science in a local school. “We will decide on our future course of action after the last rites are over,” he added. The body of Shoaib, who was allegedly found hanging around 7.30am yesterday by some of his hostel mates, was flown to Calcutta this afternoon. His relatives reached Bhabla with the body around 7.30pm. IIT Guwahati director Gautam Biswas had said yesterday that Shoaib’s friends had told the authorities that the 22-year-old, who was pursuing masters in mathematics, had been suffering from depression. Shoaib’s uncle Samsad Ali, who lives in Guwahati, echoed Mustaq. “We suspect foul play. Shoaib’s room was found open. We have submitted relevant documents and Shoaib’s cellphone to police (in Assam) for a proper inquiry,” Samsad said. The officer in charge of Jalukbari police station in Guwahati, P.K. Das, said circumstantial evidence suggested that Shoaib had committed suicide. “But we did not find a suicide note. We will know the cause of death after we get the post-mortem report, which is likely to be submitted in three days,” Das said. A pall of gloom descended on Shoaib’s two-storey house and the neighbourhood today. Neighbours and relatives stood in front of the house. “Shoaib’s mother was informed about her son’s death this morning. She has been crying since then,” said Golam Kuddus, 53, a neighbour. A relative said he did not believe that Shoaib had ended his own life as no suicide note had been found. He also contested the claim that the student was suffering from depression. “We don’t know if he was depressed. But he was definitely under study-related stress, which is natural in institutions like IITs,” the relative said.

263 - Family suspects foul play - Telegraph India

Family suspects foul play

SUMIR KARMAKAR

Guwahati, March 12: IIT Guwahati student Shoaib Ahmed’s family today alleged that he had not committed suicide and suspected foul play.

“We suspect foul play. His room was found open. We have submitted all the papers and deposited his mobile phone to police for a proper inquiry,” Shoaib’s uncle Samsad Ali, who lives here, said.

Shoaib’s father Sheikh Mustaq Ahmed, a science teacher, today said at Basirhat in West Bengal, “We don’t believe that Shoaib committed suicide. Have you ever heard that one commits suicide by keeping the door of his room open? There is foul play behind my son’s death.”

Shoaib was yesterday found hanging from the ceiling of his hostel room by a group of students who had come to call him for class at 7.30am. Shoaib’s body, on which a post-mortem was conducted yesterday, was handed over to his family around 11 this morning. It was flown to Calcutta at 2.30pm. It reached his home at Bhabla around 7.30pm, escorted by his elder brother, Shamim Ahmed.

Jalukbari police station officer-in-charge P.K. Das, today said they were waiting for the post-mortem report. He said while circumstantial evidence suggested suicide, they had not found any suicide note.

A relative said Shoaib was not known to be suffering from depression. “But he was definitely under stress about his studies which is natural in institutions like IIT.”

262 - Another IIT Guwahati student commits suicide - Deccan Herald

Another IIT Guwahati student commits suicide

Guwahati:Sep 15, 2014, DHNS:

 An Electronics and Communication Engineering student of IIT Guwahati was found dead behind his three-storey hostel building on Sunday, the police said.

The body of Tushar Yadav (19), a resident of Gurgaon in Haryana, was found lying in a pool of blood around 7:30 am.

The police maintain that the student committed suicide on Saturday night by jumping from the hostel rooftop.

Police also found a note addressed to his parents which says he was suffering from depression for the past two months.

“In the suicide note, the student has apologised to his parents,” police said. They are waiting for the fingerprints report.

The post-mortem was conducted at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. Students and faculty of IIT Guwahati, which is on the outskirts of the city, were shocked.

His friends said he has been suffering from depression since long, but they were not aware of the reasons, though Yadav was good at studies. 

This is the second suicide case in IIT Guwahati in the last six months. Shoaib Ahmed, a second semester M.Sc. student from West Bengal, hanged himself from the ceiling fan of his hostel room in March. 

At least five suicide cases have been reported in the institution so far.

IIT Guwahati is in the top 100 young world universities' list published by London-based Times Higher Education magazine, becoming the first Indian institute to receive the accolade.  The institute was established on the basis of the Assam Accord.

261 - IIT Guwahati student found dead behind hostel, cops say suicide - One India

IIT Guwahati student found dead behind hostel, cops say suicide Published: Monday, September 15, 2014, 10:44 [IST]

Guwahati, Sept 15: An electronics and communication engineering student of IIT Guwahati, hailing from Haryana, was found dead behind his three-storey hostel building on Sunday, police said. The body of Tushar Yadav (19) was found lying in a pool of blood at around 7.30 am. Police investigators say that the student committed suicide on Saturday night by jumping from the building rooftop. Police also found a note addressed to his parents which says he was suffering from depression for the past two months. "In the suicide note, the student has apologised to his parents," police said, adding they are waiting for the fingerprints report. The student was a resident of Gurgaon in Haryana. His father, Narender Singh, rushed here after getting information. Post-mortem examination of the body was conducted at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. This is the second such incident in the IIT-G this year. Shoaib Ahmed, a second semester M.Sc. student from West Bengal, had hanged himself from the ceiling fan of his hostel room in March. IANS 

Read more at: http://news.oneindia.in/guwahati/iit-guwahati-student-found-dead-behind-hostel-cops-say-suicide-1521859.html

260 - 'Young driven to suicide by competition, stress' - TNN

'Young driven to suicide by competition, stress'

Malini Nair,TNN | Sep 15, 2014, 07.03 AM IST

The first WHO report on worldwide suicide figures released last week ranks India on top. India has other worrisome trends -high rate of female and youth suicides. Psychiatrist Shekhar Saxena, author of the report and director of the department of mental health and substance abuse at WHO, tells Malini Nair that the Indian government has to step in and tackle the suicide surge. 

What is the most alarming figure from India in the first WHO suicide report? 

It has to be the high rate of suicide in the 15-29 age group. Traditionally , older and middle aged people are more prone to suicide and that is still the case in most developed nations but if 35% of your suicides come from the younger age brackets like in India that is both unusual and serious. Why should they feel so helpless at the peak of their life? Loss of life at this age is also damaging for the nation as a whole. 

What do you think is the reason for this trend? 

There are a number of factors at work. Like Japan and Korea, here too the young are under extreme stress to score well in schools and get into good colleges. Then there is keen competition in the job sector. These are relatively recent developments. If this is accompanied by economic stagnation and rapid social changes it could lead to suicidal tendencies. 

Cultures like Japan and Korea also respect the idea of suicide, is it not? 

Yes, some cultures see traditionally see suicides as an honourable escape from failure and shame. And that does explain high suicide rates in these countries. But in India, suicide is not glorified, it is stigmatized and on top of that, it is a criminal act. So people cannot even open up and talk to someone about it and seek help. Our studies have found that suicidal thoughts aren't permanent. Talking openly can give an individual other options or the time to rethink his/her decision. 

The number of women committing suicides is also quite high unlike the west. Why is this so? 

Yes, the gender margin is much narrower than in the West. But even then men in India are 1.5 times more likely to commit suicide than women. Actually, more women attempt suicide, than actually commit it. The figures indicate a high level of stress in society, like in some other Asian countries. China too shows high rates of suicides by women. The problems could be domestic, social as well as economic. Women also have less access to health and social services. There is high incidence of violence against women and children and this often leads to depression which is a high risk factor in suicides. 

In the case of dowry-related suicides, isn't there a very thin line between suicide and murder? 

Yes, but we have very little information on these kind of suicides. But we are aware that there is underreporting of suicides out of India. And despite that the figures are so high. 

In India, mental health and suicide helplines are seen as the preserve of the NGO sector. But your report talks of the need for government intervention. What exactly can the government do? 

The government needs to make multi-sectoral prevention strategies. If women can have better access to health and there are legal reforms, it could reduce suicide risks. If the young are stressed about education and job opportunities, government intervention can certainly help by bringing policy changes. The health and social care systems have to be strengthened. An alcohol policy could help because there is a clear link between dependence on alcohol and suicide. 

This report talks of pesticide intake as the most oft-used means for committing suicide. 

Pesticides are the commonest means of committing suicide in India, particularly rural India and especially in the south. This is mostly related to, poverty, debt. Reduced access to pesticides could help avoid many deaths because the tendency to commit suicide doesn't last forever. In some villages, community storage of pesticides - keeping it in locked with limited access - helped reduce suicides.

259 - Gurgaon boy jumps to death at IIT Guwahati - TNN

Gurgaon boy jumps to death at IIT Guwahati

TNN | Sep 15, 2014, 02.47AM IST

GUWAHATI: A first-semester student of Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, was found dead on campus on Sunday. Police suspect Tushar Yadav committed suicide by jumping from the fourth floor of his hostel the previous night.

Tushar, who was studying electronics communication and engineering, was from Gurgaon.

Police suspect Tushar Yadav committed suicide by jumping from the fourth floor of his hostel the previous night.

Police said they had found a letter in Tushar's room, purportedly written by him and addressed to his parents, in which he said he had been suffering from severe depression for the past two months. Initial investigations showed the handwriting matched Tushar's.

Although it appeared to be a suicide case, police said they were looking at other angles too. IIT-G authorities ruled out the possibility of Tushar being a victim of ragging. The family said Tushar spoke to his mother hours before his death and appeared normal.

"We found out Yadav was not in his hostel room last night," said Labanu Konwar, public relations officer, IIT-G. "His roommate called him on his mobile around midnight but no one answered. His body was found this morning by a canteen worker."

After police informed the parents, Tushar's father Narendra Singh reached Guwahati in the afternoon. A relative who accompanied Singh to Guwahati said the student had called his parents on Saturday night and had spoken normally.

"He called up his mother last night and said he was fine," said the relative. "He was down with typhoid a few months ago and he told his mother he was better now."

This is the second case of suspected suicide on the IIT-G campus this year. In March, S M Shoib Ahmed, an MSc maths student from West Bengal, was found to have hanged himself from a ceiling fan in his hostel.

258 - Guwahati: IIT Student, Allegedly Suffering from Depression, Commits Suicide - NDTV

Guwahati: IIT Student, Allegedly Suffering from Depression, Commits Suicide

Cities | Agencies | Updated: September 15, 2014 10:38 IST

An IIT-Guwahati student was found dead near his hostel building on Sunday. The police say he committed suicide and had written a note apologizing to his parents, who live in Gurgaon near Delhi.

The body of Tushar Yadav, 19, was found at around 7.30 in the morning, lying in blood. He was a student of electronics and communication engineering.

Police investigators say he jumped from the fourth floor of his "Kameng" hostel building late on Saturday night.

The police found what they say was Tushar's suicide note addressed to his parents, in which he said he had been depressed for two months.

"He left a note to his parents. In it, he says he was suffering from depression and he was ending it. He has apologised to his parents," said a police officer. Tushar's father Narender Singh is in Guwahati.

This is the second such incident at an IIT this year. In March, Shoaib Ahmed, a second semester M.Sc. student from Bengal, was found hanging from a fan in his hostel room.

257 - IIT-Guwahati student commits suicide - IBN Live

IIT-Guwahati student commits suicide - IBN Live

Sep 14, 2014 at 05:31pm IST

Guwahati: A first semester student of IIT-Guwahati on Sunday committed suicide allegedly by jumping from the fourth floor of his hostel in the campus.

He has been identified as Tushar Yadav, hailing from Gurgaon in Haryana, and was a student of Electronics Communication and Engineering department at Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati, police said.

"The student took the extreme step in the wee hours today. He left a suicide note addressed to his parents. It mainly stated that he was suffering from depression for the last two months and today was its end," a police officer said.

He has been identified as Tushar Yadav, hailing from Gurgaon in Haryana, and was a student of Electronics Communication and Engineering department at Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati, police said.

Yadav was a resident at the Kameng hostel and he jumped from the it's fourth floor.

The body has been sent for post-mortem and the family has been informed about the incident, police said.

256 - IIT-B student killed self: Cops - TNN

IIT-B student killed self: Cops

TNN | Sep 9, 2014, 11.03PM IST

Mumbai: A police probe into the death of IIT-B student, Aniket Ambhore, 22, has revealed that he had committed suicide. Ambhore, who was depressed, fell from the sixth floor balcony of a hostel on the campus last Thursday. 

"With no contradictory theory before us, it seems Ambhore committed suicide," said deputy commissioner of police Prashant Holkar (zone X). "We have recorded statements of Ambhore's roommate and a student who was standing in the opposite building and saw him fall. The roommate stated that Ambhore had spoken to his parents over the telephone before going off to sleep in his room. A few hours later, the roommate had left for the canteen." 

While the police have not established the motive for Ambhore's drastic step, they believe his backlogs in subjects, along with depression, may have pushed him over the edge. Ambhore had several backlogs in the first and second years of his dual degree programme. He had returned to the campus after a 10-day break on Thursday. The Powai police, who have been conducting a detailed probe, also recorded his parents' statements. 

IIT has a student-mentorship programme in place and counselors regularly visit hostels to interact with students. Students are mentored and monitored closely by faculty members during the academic rehabilitation programme, said the official. Ambhore was also put on the programme.

255 - IITian’s fall to death an accident? - Asian Age

IITian’s fall to death an accident?

Sep 06, 2014 | Age Correspondent | Mumbai

Students on the campus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) are shocked at the death of fourth-year student Aniket Ambhore, who according to the police and eye witness statements slipped and died after falling from the sixth floor of a hostel on the campus on Thursday. On Friday, while the campus was abuzz with rumours that Ambhore might have committed suicide as his grades had been falling and he was in depression, the institute maintains that it was an accident and are awaiting the police investigation report.

According to some students, though Ambhore fell and died at around 5.45 pm, news of the same started spreading on the campus only after the police came to the spot at around 6.30 pm. “As the area was cordoned off, there was some confusion as to who the student was and the name became clear only after some students who saw him fall identified him. They were the ones who alerted the campus security who alerted the police,” said a student, requesting anonymity.

“He was a vocalist and guitarist and was active on Facebook. He had posted a positive note on Facebook on how changing art forms around us could change the way people eat, thus leading to a cure for cancer and cough,” said another student. He added that apparently Ambhore did not have suicidal tendencies as he did not leave any note behind, thus negating the speculation about him committing suicide.

The institute confirmed that as it was raining heavily on Thursday and the floor on the sixth floor balcony was wet, Ambhore might have slipped while talking on the phone. “The eyewitness account taken down by the police confirms that Ambhore was talking on the phone and not preparing to jump, thus ruling out the suicide angle. However, we do not want to influence the police investigation in any way and will await their report,” said Rashmi Sablani, PRO of IIT-B.

Meanwhile, the Teachers’ Day celebration on the campus were also muted and Prof. Devang Khakkar, Director, IIT-B read out a condolence message during the programme. He only announced the names of the teachers who would be felicitated. The felicitation would take place on some other day.

254 - IIT-B students complain of stress, inadequate support - DNA

IIT-B students complain of stress, inadequate support

Saturday, 6 September 2014 - 7:05am IST | Agency: DNA

The death of 22-year-old Aniket Ambhore at the Indian Institute of Technology – Bombay is not the first such case. There have been at least two other incidents in the past 19 months that have sparked concerns.

What were the earlier incidents?

In February last year, Ankur Abhishek, a fourth year dual-degree electrical engineering student, drowned in Vihar lake. In January this year, M Siva Theja, a PhD student hailing from Hyderabad went missing. His body was found, the head covered with plastic, at a lodge in Visakhapatnam.

students believe that all these cases are suicides and they insist that the institute is trying to brush them under the carpet.

On Friday, activities on the campus appeared to be normal, except that the Teachers' Day programme was cancelled.

Is there too much academic pressure?

The students suggest that academic pressure together with inadequate support mechanism is leading to mental pressure that they are not able to deal with.

"Academic vigour is so much that sometimes even the most brilliant brains feel lost, especially those who haven't got the course of their choice. We're supposed to clear six subjects every semester. If you have a backlog, the pressure goes out of the roof," said a final year B-Tech student.

Urjit Yajnik, dean of students affairs, says there's academic stress in schools too, but there are counsellors to help students at IIT-B. Students argue this is not sufficient.

"This cannot be addressed by any counsellor. Merely sending students for the academic rehabilitation programme is not enough. What about the threat of losing a year," asked a general secretary of a hostel.

Do teachers fail students deliberately?

Students also allege that some teachers fail students deliberately over petty issues. "I was failed as I submitted my project 10 minutes late. I had to appear for the course all over again in the next semester. I am not allowed to question the autonomy of the teacher," rued a final year student of metallurgical engineering.

Teachers are said to be so strict that they mark students absent even if they are just 10 minutes late to class, despite the fact that this may be due to an earlier lecture being delayed.

Prof Yajnik denies the charges. "You are taking things to another dimension. I wouldn't like to comment on that." he said.

Why no discussion with the students?

"I've been studying here for the past five years and have seen so many cases of deaths. But there has never been any official word from the institute. Whatever we got to know was through the media. It's as if the authorities don't care when a student dies," said another M-Tech student.

Why the silence over Aniket's death?

On Friday afternoon the IIT-B public relations officer (PRO) sent out an e-mail to the media stating that the Teachers' Day event had been cancelled "due to some internal reasons".

The death of the fourth year student on Thursday was not even acknowledged by the administration, perhaps a confirmation of the indifference of the Country's premier technical institute to the problems of students. "This wasn't good news and so mentioning it was not required," the PRO said.

253 -Cops believe IIT-B student may have committed suicide - TNN

Cops believe IIT-B student may have committed suicide

Yogita Rao & Vijay V Singh,TNN | Sep 6, 2014, 11.06 PM IST

MUMBAI: Investigators, based on circumstantial evidence, are veering towards the view that the death of a student at IIT-B on Thursday may be a case of suicide. However, police said a final conclusion on Aniket Ambhore's death will be drawn only after recording the statement of his friends, classmates and others. IIT-B officials will probe allegations made by Aniket's father Sanjay, that his son was taunted over getting into the institute through the SC/ST quota.

Aniket, a fourth-year electrical engineering student at the institute, died after a fall from a sixth-floor balcony of a hostel on the campus on Thursday evening. Police believe Aniket may have committed suicide and said he last spoke to his father before the incident. Aniket was suffering from depression and was advised five to six hours' rest during daytime. A senior officer said, "He spoke to his parents before the incident, saying he was going to sleep. His parents then spoke to his friend who told them that Aniket was sleeping in his room. The incident took place after the friend left for the canteen." Aniket was seen talking on his mobile on a balcony on Thursday evening when a student saw him falling.

IIT-B officials said allegations of Aniket being taunted were being seriously probed. "The institute takes utmost care of students and several programmes are introduced at institute level from time to time to ensure students perform better in academics," said an IIT-B official. "At IIT-B, the support system and mentoring/counselling offered to students is for all irrespective of their caste, creed, religion/gender and background. IIT-B is an egalitarian institution, where there is no room for discrimination," said the official.

The institute has a student-mentorship programme in place and counsellors also regularly visit hostels to interact with students. During the course of the academic rehabilitation programme (ARP), the students are mentored and monitored closely by faculty members, said the official. Aniket was also put on ARP.

However, a recent survey done by the students' media body for their in-house magazine, InSight, revealed that 56% of quota students in the first year felt discrimination existed in the institute, but in a discreet manner. Of all first-year students, 69% felt discrimination on the basis of caste does not exist at all, while 28% felt discrimination exists in an indirect manner. Around 3% students surveyed also claimed that they witnessed discrimination.

"The main divide does not seem to be due to any sort of negative sentiment, but due to the sphere of academics," stated the article. The average cumulative performance index of general, OBC and SC/ST students is 8.09, 6.6 and 5.59 respectively. Around 70% of reserved category students said they experience more academic pressure than open category students, as they feel they lag behind in academics. They also claimed it was a demoralising factor.

Aniket too had several backlogs in the first and second years of his dual-degree programme. His father told TOI that he was undergoing treatment for depression and had returned to the campus after a 10-day break on Thursday. His father also said that he was taunted on campus.

A student close to Aniket, however, said there was no discrimination against him by his peers, friends or colleagues of any sort. "In fact, he was one of the popular students in the batch for his singing and song-writing skills," said the student.

Senior psychiatrist Harish Shetty said parents should share information of depression, if any, with institute counsellors and work as a team. "In such cases, a psychological autopsy is a must to determine what happened. Student mentors at the institute should be trained as bare-foot counsellors to pick up signs of depression," he said.

252 - Caste discrimination in India's elite institutions: Students - DNA

Caste discrimination in India's elite institutions: Students

Sunday, 7 September 2014 - 6:30am IST | Agency: DNA

Kanchan Srivastava

The death of Aniket Ambhore, fourth year electrical engineering student at Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay on Thursday under mysterious circumstances (he fell from the sixth floor of a hostel inside the campus), has brought to the fore certain unsavoury issues which the administration in the premier institution seeks to brush under the carpet.

Caste-based discrimination is one among them.

Aniket was reportedly under tremendous stress; was inclined towards spirituality, and was undergoing psychiatric treatment following poor performance in exams. He had backlogs from the first, second and third year.

Aniket's father has alleged his son used to be taunted for being a student from scheduled caste. A head of dept once passed a derogatory comment about him, said his father. The family didn't make any formal complaint though.

The administration denies the charge. SC, ST and OBC students however allege that there is discrimination at this elite institution. SC, ST and OBCs students have quota of 15%, 7.5% and 27% seats, respectively.

A survey among first year students (2013-14 batch) belonging to various SC, ST and OBC categories, has revealed that an alarming 56% of them feel discriminated against in the institution, albeit in a discreet manner.

Nearly 60% of those in the reserved category also said they experienced more academic pressure than those in the general category.

"However, this is not because of any negative sentiments, but due to the nature of the syllabus. This is a demoralising factor and it hits them hard when they get their results," says the survey conducted by Insight, IITB students media body.

This was the first such survey conducted on issue of biases and discrimination on the campus.

The main difference between students in general and other categories, according to the survey, is in academic performance. As per statistics, the average cumulative performance index of general category, OBC and SC/ST students is 8.09, 6.6 and 5.9, respectively.

A professor admits: "Many quota candidates struggle in studies. Placement is also difficult for them because of the poor scores."

Deep-rooted prejudice
Students, however, claimed some members of the faculty harboured deep-rooted prejudices against quota students and award them very poor grades in exams despite performing well.

"Some general category students also pass remarks saying quota students grab seats in coveted courses while they get admission in not-so-popular courses despite having scored better marks," said a student.

IIT PRO Rashmi Udaykumar said: "The institute does't discriminate against students on the basis of their caste or religion." She also said Aniket's father had not made any complaint in this regard.

Cases of discrimination have also been reported from other IITs, IISc and AIIMS. In 2008, IIT Delhi was in the news for terminating 12 Dalit students citing "poor academic performance", which led to allegations of caste-based discrimination.

"At least 20 Dalit students from these institutions have committed suicide in the past seven years," said a PhD student in IIT Delhi.

Roommate wants to change room
Aniket's room mate, Sushant Kumar, an M Sc student, who shared room number 177 in hostel number 1 with him, has requested that he be allotted another room. General secretary of the hostel Ratikant, said: "We understand his emotional stress and are trying to shift him to another room.

251 - 'IIT-Bombay student who fell from 6th flr was struggling with failing grades' - Mid Day

'IIT-Bombay student who fell from 6th flr was struggling with failing grades'

By Shreya Bhandary |Posted 06-Sep-2014

While revealing that the deceased student was not doing well in academics, IIT-Bombay officials said he had not seemed depressed and had likely fallen in a ‘freak accident’

A day after a student was found dead at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bombay after allegedly slipping and falling off the sixth floor of a hostel building, the administration revealed that he had not been faring well in academics, and was quite unhappy about it.

Aniket Ambhore fell from the sixth-floor balcony at hostel building number 13. While the police is yet to ascertain the cause of death, senior officials mentioned that the deceased fourth-year dual degree student of electrical engineering had already failed a year, and even remedial classes had not helped his grades. - 

Aniket Ambhore

“At IIT, we follow a system wherein if a student fails in too many papers over a period of time, then he or she is given another chance in the form of the Academic Rehabilitation Programme (ARP). Aniket Ambhore had been part of this programme for the past year and a half, and his scores had not improved,” said U Yajnik, dean of student affairs, IIT-B.

Yajnik added that while the Powai police are still waiting for the post-mortem reports, the college authorities doubt it was a case of suicide. “This student was part of a band, and his friends mentioned in their statements that he never seemed depressed. Even his parents were shocked. He regularly lived with his family, so there’s no reason for any disconnect between him and his family. We, therefore, believe this was a freak accident, and not suicide,” he said.

While entry to the hostel, where the incident took place, was restricted on Friday, some students mentioned, on condition of anonymity, that the sixth floor of the hostel building number 13 — from where Ambhore allegedly fell — has a high railing and is an improbable place to fall from.

After the fall, he was rushed to the in-house hospital within the campus, where he was declared dead on arrival. His body was sent to Rajawadi Hospital for post-mortem on the same day. On Friday morning, his body  was handed over to his family, and the funeral was held in the afternoon.

The police, meanwhile, have said that they have registered a case of accidental death, and are not ruling out either suicide or foul play. An eyewitness had seen Ambhore talking on the phone on the sixth-floor balcony before he fell, and the police are now going through his call records.

Family in shock
Ambhore usually lived with his family, and on the day of the accident, too, he had spent the day with his family, and even spoke to them after returning to the hostel. His father, Sanjay Ambhore said, “His room was in hostel building 1, so I don’t know what he was doing on the sixth floor of another building.

In the past few weeks, he was a little unhappy with his studies, so I had asked him to drop a semester and relax. He agreed with me and cut the call, and a few minutes later, the institute authorities informed me about the accident.”

Following the incident, the administration toned down their Teachers’ Day celebrations and a condolence speech was delivered by the dean. “We also followed this with a two-minute silence in memory of Aniket. We are all still coming to terms with the incident,” said Rashmi Uday Kumar, public relations officer for IIT-Bombay.

- See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/iit-bombay-student-who-fell-from-6th-flr-was-struggling-with-failing-grades/15581184#sthash.biGKhySn.dpuf

250 - Day after student’s death, IIT B to inspect balconies, terraces - Hindustan Times

Day after student’s death, IIT B to inspect balconies, terraces

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times  

Mumbai, September 05, 2014

A day after a student of Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT B) died after falling from the sixth floor of a hostel balcony, authorities of the institute are planning to inspect balconies and terraces of hostels and buildings in the institute premises, to check if any are in need of repair.

An official from the institute said that the parapets become slippery, especially in the rains, making them dangerous. “While there is no clarity over whether his death was caused by slipping or something else, an inspection is on the cards,” he said.

Aniket Ambhore, a dual-degree electrical engineering student, was talking on the phone in hostel 13 on Thursday evening, when he fell. He was declared dead on arrival at Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar.

According to an IIT Bombay spokesperson, Ambhore was speaking to his father when he fell. “Aniket’s father told us that he was on the phone with him, when suddenly he stopped talking, after which the call got disconnected,” said Rashmi Sablania, IIT spokesperson. Ambhore’s father, however, declined to elaborate on the matter.

The police are investigating the possibility of foul play. A student who lives in the same hostel building said it was unlikely anyone could slip from the balcony. “The sixth floor balcony has a high parapet and there are no gaps. It is highly unlikely that he slipped,” said the student.

Ambhore’s friends refused to believe that the death was a case of suicide. “Aniket is the last person to even think of suicide. He was a happy person and had great ambitions. We are shocked,” said Ashrit Tandon, a student and Aniket’s friend.

The Teacher’s Day celebrations scheduled at IIT B were cancelled on Friday, and instead, a condolence speech was delivered by Devang Khakar, the director.

Police investigations have remained inconclusive so far. “We are looking for eye-witnesses in the case. His call data records will also be checked to ascertain if he was talking on the phone, when the incident occurred. We have registered the matter as an accidental death, as of now,” said Yadavrao Jadhav, senior police inspector, Powai police station.

249 - Probe into IIT-Bombay student’s death after fall, family says he was depressed - TNN

Probe into IIT-Bombay student’s death after fall, family says he was depressed

George Mendonca, Yogita Rao & Nitasha Natu, TNN | Sep 6, 2014, 12.58AM IST

MUMBAI: The family of Aniket Ambhore, 22, an IIT-Bombay student who died after a fall from a sixth-floor balcony of a hostel on the campus on Thursday, said he was undergoing treatment for depression.

Another student in Hostel 13 saw Aniket, a fourth year student doing dual degree in electrical engineering, talking on his cell phone under an umbrella on a balcony on Thursday evening. He later saw him falling and informed others, but did not see how Aniket fell, said the institute.

"Aniket was suffering from depression probably due to the backlog in subjects from his first and second years. Due to his condition, he was unable to sleep properly at night in the hostel. We had consulted a doctor who had advised him rest for 5-6 hours during daytime," said Aniket's father Sanjay after his son's final rites at Airoli in Navi Mumbai on Friday.

248 - IIT-B student dies after fall from hostel’s sixth floor

IIT-B student dies after fall from hostel’s sixth floor

Mumbai Mirror | Sep 5, 2014, 01.16 AM IST

Arita Sarkar and Vikrant Dadawala

Institute says he slipped while speaking on phone. Cops haven't ruled out suicide or foul play yet.

A 22-year-old Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay student was found dead on Thursday after falling from the sixth floor of one of the hostels on campus. 

A student who saw fourth year dualdegree student Aniket Ambhore fall alerted his classmates and the hostel warden, who rushed him to Ghatkopar's Rajawadi Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. 

While the IIT administration said Ambhore slipped and fell, occupants of the 7-floor Hostel 13 who spoke to Mirror said the floor did not have any openings and the parapet, too, was quite high. 

However, some students from Hostel 13 said cellular network was bad in the building and that it is not uncommon for students to lean out of the balcony while on their cell phones. 

An electrical engineering student specialising in communication and signal processing, Ambhore lived in Hostel 1, which students said is far from where he was found. 

Rashmi Sablani, IIT's public relations officer, said, "We spoke to an eyewitness who confirmed Ambhore was talking on the phone in a sixth-floor balcony and slipped." 

While the official line is the death was a result of an accident, the police said they are not ruling out either suicide or foul play at the moment. 

Senior Inspector YL Jadhav said: "We have registered a case of accidental death. But we are investigating whether it is a suicide or an accident or if there was foul play." 

Ambhore's friends told Mirror that it was unlikely that he would kill himself. "It is not like Ambhore to even think of suicide," said a close friend, requesting anonymity. "He was good at what he did. He was part of a rock band and came from a happy family. I really do not know what to make of the incident." 

Ambhore, a resident of Airoli, Navi Mumbai, completed SSC at DAV Public School, Airoli, and subsequently finished his higher secondary certificate from MH Junior College in Thane before joining IIT. His mother Sunita is a lecturer in a Navi Mumbai college while his father is a manager in a public sector bank. He has a younger sister.