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Saturday, June 6, 2015

IIT-B STUDENT TRIED TO KILL HIMSELF THRICE - Mumbai Mirror

Mumbai Mirror | Jun 4, 2015, 12.00 AM IST

Mumbai Mirror Bureau

The 23-year-old, who is undergoing treatment, repeatedly banged his head against a wall in his hostel room and then slashed his wrists before consuming a poisonous substance.

The IIT-B student who was rushed to a hospital in an unconscious state on Monday morning had made three attempts to kill himself within a few hours, it emerged on Wednesday. 

The 23-year-old first repeatedly banged his head against a wall in his hostel room and then slashed his wrists before consuming a poisonous substance, according to a doctor at Hiranandani Hospital, where the student is being treated. At some point, he started screaming, alerting his hostel mates. 

The student, who is pursuing a dual degree in MSc and PhD in earth sciences, wrote in a suicide note that he had been unwell for some time and he was struggling to cope with academic pressure, the Powai police said. 

The doctor said that the student appeared extremely disturbed — and agitated —after he regained consciousness. He had to be tied down to prevent him from doing any more harm to himself. "His arms and legs were strapped to the bed and he was kept heavily sedated. The doctors said that it was a precautionary measure," a hostel mate said. 

Consultant physician Dr Neeraj Tulara, one of the doctors who monitored the student's condition in the intensive care unit, said: "He is doing fine now. A psychiatrist is attending to him." He added that the patient would be moved out of the ICU in a day or two. 

The student's brother arrived in Mumbai from Delhi on Tuesday. 

The student lived in hostel number 5 on the IIT-B campus. His friends said that unlike some students who had attempted suicide earlier, he was doing well in studies. He had a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 7.5 out of 10, which is considered a good score. 

"He did not seem to have any problem with his studies," said a senior who visited the student in the hospital on Wednesday. 

A hostel mate said that the student was not very social. On Monday morning, people rushed to his room after hearing screams. "We found him writhing in pain. There was a towel around his neck," the hostel mate said. 

Senior inspector YL Jadhav of the Powai police station said that a handwritten suicide note had been recovered from the hostel room. "The note is divided into three parts, addressing his mother, father and the police," Jadhav said. 

The student said in the note that no one should be blamed for his death. He also requested the police not to conduct any inquiry. "We spoke to his friends and they said that he was not suffering from any ailment. But he had complained of severe headaches," said deputy police commissioner (zone X) Vinayak Deshmukh. 

IIT-B public relations officer Rashmi Uday Kumar said that the institute would help the student get proper counselling. "His condition is stable and we hope that he is discharged in a day or two," Kumar said.