269 - CCTV footage provides fresh twist in IIT-Delhi boy's death - TNN

CCTV footage provides fresh twist in IIT-Delhi boy's death

Purusharth Aradhak, TNN | Oct 15, 2014, 01.57AM IST

NOIDA: With the recovery of a CCTV footage showing IIT-Delhi student, Anchal Bhardwaj, at the office of a private financial company that offers loan against mortgage of gold jewellery, police claimed to have made headway in the investigation of his death.

Bhardwaj's father had alleged that his son was killed by his cousin who suspected him of stealing gold jewellery from his apartment.

The cousin's family had later claimed to have recovered a jewellery box from Anchal's room, cops said. Anchal died after falling from his cousin's eighth-floor apartment on October 3. Police said they are yet to ascertain whether it was an accidental fall, a murder or an abetment to suicide.

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"During the investigation, we recovered CCTV footage of a private financial company in Noida which deals in giving loans against gold. The footage suggests Anchal had visited the company office," an officer said. Sources said Anchal had deposited some gold ornaments with the financial firm and sold the rest to friends. "We have seen the deceased in the CCTV footage. We have also questioned some of his friends who purchased gold from him," an officer said.

The cop added that while Anchal's cousins said he fell-off accidentally, his father Mahavir Bhardwaj alleged that the cousins, who suspected Anchal of stealing the jewellery, threatened to set his educational documents on fire if he did not admit to the crime and also pushed him to his death.

268 - IIT boy's death: Cops don't rule out abetment - TNN

IIT boy's death: Cops don't rule out abetment

Purusharth Aradhak, TNN | Oct 8, 2014, 03.57AM IST

NOIDA: The father of the IIT-Delhi student who was found dead in an apartment complex in Noida last week was questioned by the police on Tuesday, a day after a murder case was filed on the basis of his complaint.

Mahavir Bhardwaj has alleged that his 21-year-old son, Anchal, didn't commit suicide but was murdered by his cousin and his family. Anchal died after he purportedly fell from his cousin's eighth floor flat in the housing complex in Sector 121 last Friday.

Even as police said they were also probing if Anchal was driven to suicide - he was accused of stealing jewellery belonging to his cousin's wife -investigations on Tuesday revealed another cousin of Anchal was also present in the flat the day he died. The other cousin and his wife had threatened to set Anchal's academic certificates on fire if he did not confess he had stolen the jewellery, Mahavir told the police. "The couple had also taken my son's laptop to their residence," he alleged.

The cousin's family has, meanwhile, told the police Anchal fell accidentally from the flat, senior superintendent of police Preetinder Singh said.

"If he was accused of theft, there is a possibility of mounting pressure on him, so this could also be an abetment to suicide case," SSP Preetinder Singh said.

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267 - IIT boy falls to death, dad cries murder - TNN

IIT boy falls to death, dad cries murder

Purusharth Aradhak, TNN | Oct 6, 2014, 07.09AM IST

A student of IIT Delhi was found dead at a housing society in Noida’s Sector 121 after he fell from his cousin’s eighth-floor apartment.

NOIDA: A student of IIT Delhi was found dead at a housing society in Noida's Sector 121 after he fell from his cousin's eighth-floor apartment. The youth's father has filed a police complaint accusing the cousin and his family of murder. Police, however, are yet to file an FIR. 

Anchal Bhardwaj, 21, an MTech student, died on Friday evening. The incident came to light only on Sunday after his father lodged a complaint and police started a probe to examine the allegations before registering a case. 

Bhardwaj lived as a paying guest in Sector 22 and was visiting his cousin's resident at an apartment complex developed by the Ajnara group, according to his father. The cousin lives in the flat with his wife. 

Vishwajeet Srivastav, the deputy superintendent of police, said Bhardwaj's cousin visited his PG accommodation on Friday and invited him for lunch. "Later in the evening he fell from the eighth-floor apartment. He was taken to Fortis hospital but was declared dead on arrival," Srivastav added. The autopsy report, he said, suggested that the death was caused by the fall. 

"The Sector 58 police station in-charge is probing the case. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, we will decide our course of action," Srivastav said. 

In his complaint, Anchal's father Mahavir Bhardwaj says his nephew suspected his son of stealing jewellery from the apartment. "A few days ago, some jewellery of my nephew's wife was lost. They suspected it was Anchal. On Friday, when Anchal left his PG accommodation for Sector 121, his room was searched by them," Mahavir alleged, adding, "I suspect he was murdered and the crime scene dressed up to show it was a suicide." 

The police said the family of Bhardwaj's cousin claimed the jewellery box was recovered from Anchal's room. The Bhardwaj family hails from Uttar Pradesh and Anchal's father is a teacher in Haryana. 

266 - Treating the Root Causes of Suicide

Treating the Root Causes of Suicide

30 September 2014 by Kimberly Wilkes in Newsletter 2014 

When beloved actor Robin Williams committed suicide, it sent shock waves throughout the entire world. Many of us wondered how a man who had such talent to make people laugh could harbor so much personal sadness and despair.

The truth of the matter is suicide isn’t a choice—it’s a symptom of a disease, namely depression. Although at first glance, depression seems as if it’s a mental problem, in reality there’s more to the story. In most cases, a physical cause is behind this mental illness. If you or a loved one suffer from depression, getting to the root of the possible physical cause or causes can make a world of difference—and possibly even save a life.

In this article, I’m going to show you how taking charge of certain aspects of your physical health—or that of your loved ones—can give mental health a big boost, too. But first, let’s take a look at some suicide facts and how to recognize whether someone you know may be thinking about ending it all. As you’re reading this article, keep in mind that depression is a serious illness and you should always work with your doctor in using any of the advice in this article.

The Far-Reaching Consequences of Suicide

If you know someone who committed suicide, you may ask yourself over and over if there was something you could have done to save your friend or family member. For some people, the grief of losing a loved one to suicide takes a more deadly turn.

A recent study showed that people who are grieving the suicide of a romantic partner and mothers of adult children who killed themselves are at a significantly higher risk of committing suicide compared with people grieving the sudden deaths of loved ones from other causes. In addition, children whose mother committed suicide are more likely to suffer from long-term depression.¹

Even more sobering is the fact that suicide rates are rising among adults. According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 1999 and 2010, suicide increased by 28.4 percent in people ages 35 to 64.²  This means that more people die of suicide than in car accidents.

Signs to Watch For

According to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, here are some signs a person you know and love may be considering suicide:³

• Talking about wanting to die or kill themselves.
• Looking for a way to kill themselves, such as searching online or buying a gun.
• Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live.
• Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain.
• Talking about being a burden to others.
• Increased use of alcohol or drugs.
• Acting anxious or agitated; behaving recklessly.
• Sleeping too little or too much.
• Withdrawing or isolating themselves.
• Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge.
• Displaying extreme mood swings.

Who Is at Risk?

Anyone can suffer from depression and think about suicide. But there are groups of people who may have a particularly high risk. Anyone who has suffered childhood abuse may be at risk for depression and suicide.⁴ Veterans also have a high suicide rate, especially those who have returned from active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.⁵

After a relationship breakup, men in particular are at an increased risk of suicide.⁶ Children and adolescents who have been bullied also are more vulnerable.⁷

Sadly, in the U.S., more than 6,000 senior citizens take their own lives every year.⁸ Because seniors tend to be more frail, most succeed on their first attempt to harm themselves.⁸ People who have chronic pain and people who are addicted to alcohol or drugs also are at higher risk of suicide.

The Suicide Gene

Scientists have uncovered a gene that is found more often in people contemplating suicide than in depressed people who don’t express a desire to harm themselves.⁹

Researchers examined the DNA of more than 400 people who had major depression. Approximately one-third of these people had attempted suicide. The researchers found that a connection between a variant of a gene called RGS2—which is involved in the activity of certain brain chemical receptors—and suicidal behavior.

The study authors found two copies of the variant linked to suicidal behavior in 43 percent of the suicidal patients. Less than 20 percent of these suicidal subjects had two copies of a variant that seemed to protect against suicide.

But just because it’s “in your genes” doesn’t mean it’s inevitable. If you’re depressed or know someone who is, it’s more important than ever to take care of the physical causes behind the depression and suicidal thoughts.

Physical Causes of Mental Illness

Let’s face it, if you’re depressed, the last thing you feel like doing is taking care of yourself.  It becomes a catch-22 problem.

You don’t feel like doing even some relatively simple things that can make a huge difference in your outlook on life. So you feel even worse—and are even less likely to eat right and take care of yourself. That’s where friends and family are important.

They can urge you to take care of yourself even when it’s the last thing in the world you feel like doing. If you’re depressed, ask your friends and family to help you begin to practice some of the suggestions below. And if you’re a loved one of someone who is contemplating suicide, help them take care of themselves by suggesting they follow the suggestions below. Once you start feeling better, you’ll be more likely to take charge of your own health.

The Thyroid Connection

A little butterfly-shaped gland in your neck could be what’s making you feel sad and depressed. When the thyroid gland becomes sluggish, it can trigger a number of symptoms, including depression.

Scientists have found many connections between the thyroid gland and mood. In rodent studies, levels of the mood-boosting brain chemical serotonin rise in the brain after treatment with the thyroid hormone T3.¹⁰ During hypothyroidism, the brain also produces less serotonin.¹⁰

In human studies, the connection between depression and hypothyroidism is strongest in people with low thyroid function who are taking the thyroid hormone thyroxine. In a study of 697 hypothyroid subjects being treated with thyroxine, the people who had higher levels of TSH and lower free T4 (markers of hypothyroidism) were the ones most likely to experience a drop in their sense of well-being.¹¹

Ask your doctor to order a blood test to measure your thyroid hormone levels. Working with a nutritionally minded physician, you can also get your iodine levels tested. Iodine is important for your thyroid gland to work properly. If your levels are low, supplementing with a combination of iodine/iodide can help nourish your thyroid gland.

Get Your ZZZZs

Lack of sleep is one of the most important risk factors for depression. In fact, a recent study found that senior citizens who didn’t sleep well were more likely to die by suicide compared with seniors who usually had a good night’s sleep.¹²

The researchers looked at the sleep quality of 20 people who died of suicide. They then compared this to the sleep quality of 400 people whose cause of death was not suicide. The study subjects who suffered from poor sleep were 1.4 times more likely to die by suicide within 10 years than subjects who said they usually slept well.

Sleeping poorly was an even stronger predictor of suicide than depressive symptoms. And combining poor sleep with depressed mood most reliably predicted suicide risk.

This wasn’t the first study to show a link between sleep deprivation and suicide. After interviewing the relatives of suicide victims, researchers conducting an earlier study in Japan found that sleep disturbances occurred significantly more often in a group of people who had committed suicide (75.5 percent) compared to the controls (11 percent). This group of researchers also found that poor sleep was responsible for more suicide cases than mental disorders.¹³

If sleep is an issue for you, there are some simple things you can try. First, take melatonin, 3 to 10 mg per night. Melatonin is the sleep hormone. It’s produced in the pineal gland of your brain mostly at night. Melatonin levels fall as we age. They also drop if you’re exposed to light at night. Supplementation can help restore melatonin levels and may help you sleep better.

In addition, avoid watching any action-adventure movies before bedtime. And try to avoid looking at computer screens or cell phones for at least a couple hours before bed since they emit blue light, which lowers melatonin levels.

It’s also a good idea to avoid caffeinated beverages (such as coffee or soda) after 12:00 noon. It takes some people 12 hours to metabolize caffeine. Plus, sleep in a dark room to boost your body’s natural supply of melatonin.

If you can’t sleep because you’re stressed, then follow some of the stress-relief suggestions below.

Combat the Stress

Chronic stress is not a friend to your peace of mind. In fact, chronic stress is a risk factor for major depression. Constant or near-constant stress changes the production of the mood-boosting brain chemical serotonin. In addition, when your brain produces new neurons in the hippocampus, it creates an antidepressant effect. But when chronic stress blocks the production of new brain neurons, it blocks this effect,¹⁴  making you more susceptible to depression.

Meditation and yoga are two ways to relieve chronic stress. Exercise is also a stress-reducer—plus, it can relieve depression, too. (More on this later).

Your alternative-minded doctor can also order an Adrenal Function Panel, a salivary hormone test that measures your cortisol levels. After you’ve been stressed for a long time, your cortisol levels can plummet, causing adrenal burnout. When this happens, your adrenal glands can no longer produce cortisol, leaving you feeling drained.

If the test results show your adrenals are exhausted, supplement with a combination of adrenal glandular and licorice root. Licorice can block the enzyme responsible for inactivating cortisol, causing cortisol levels to rise.¹⁵

Does Your Birth Month Put You at Greater Risk?

Scientists have found that being born during the summer may predispose schizophrenic persons to suicide.¹⁶ So why would season of birth matter? Your body produces vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight. For people who are born in summer, the first two trimesters of their mother’s pregnancy are in late fall and winter, when vitamin D levels drop.

Similarly, in many countries, suicide rates are highest in spring, when vitamin D levels are lowest. In the winter, some people also develop a condition known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is a form of depression. Some research suggests low vitamin D levels may play a role in SAD.¹⁷

What’s more, low vitamin D levels are linked to suicide. Researchers studied blood samples of 495 U.S. military members who had committed suicide sometime in the last 24 months and compared them to samples from 495 controls. The service men and women who had committed suicide tended to have the lowest vitamin D levels.¹⁸

Your doctor can order a blood test to measure your vitamin D levels. Ideally, you want your vitamin D levels to hover between 50 ng/mL and 75 ng/mL all year long, even in winter. Supplement with 2,000 to 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily, depending on the results of your blood test.

Mood Enhancers from the Sea

Many studies have found a link between low levels of omega-3 fatty acids and depression. What’s more, adult, depressed suicide victims have lower levels of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) compared with controls.¹⁹

One group of researchers investigated suicide deaths among active duty military and found that higher levels of DHA protected against suicide.²⁰ Another group of researchers examined the medical literature and found that the omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) acts as an antidepressant.²¹

Aim for 1 to 2 grams per day of a supplement containing both DHA and EPA, as this is the amount successfully used in studies of depression.

Your Diet and Depression

Sugar and high fructose corn syrup are two of the biggest offenders when it comes to mood-destroying foods. In one study of 23,976 adolescents in China, researchers investigated intake of soft drinks and sweet food consumption and suicidal behavior. Among the 12 to 19-year-olds studied, 20.5 percent reported that they drank soft drinks daily.

The adolescents who drank soft drinks were more likely to have a suicidal plan or have attempted suicide. Compared to the adolescents who drank soft drinks less than once per day, those who drank these beverages at least three times per day had an 80 percent increased risk for suicidal plans and were more than 3.5 times more likely to attempt suicide. Eating lots of sweet foods also was linked to an increased risk of suicidal behaviors.²²

One thing you don’t have to give up is coffee, at least not in the morning. Harvard scientists found that drinking two to three cups of coffee daily is linked to a 45 percent reduced risk of suicide.²³ The caffeine in coffee increases levels of brain chemicals like serotonin, making it a mild natural antidepressant. (Just don’t drink it in the afternoon or evening!)

It’s not only what you eat—it’s also what you don’t eat. If you’re not getting enough nutrients in your diet, it may leave you vulnerable to depression. One study showed that there’s an association between intakes of linoleic acid, riboflavin, niacin, folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, magnesium and zinc and better mental health.²⁴ So load up on veggies and fruit, and take a good multivitamin, too.

The More You Move, The Better Your Mood

A large number of studies show exercise can reduce the symptoms of major depression and anxiety disorders. Depressed people who exercise have been able to reduce their antidepressant dosages.²⁵ In addition, physical activity can reduce the depression that occurs in Alzheimer’s patients.²⁵

In one study, exercise worked as well as an antidepressant drug in reducing depression symptoms, but the effects of the antidepressant drug kicked in faster, and the exercise took longer to work. After 16 weeks, however, both the antidepressant drug and exercise worked equally well.²⁶

Don’t Go It Alone

Talk to a friend or family member who can help you get motivated to put the advice in this article into practice. Your mental suffering may be caused by a number of physical problems such as specific nutrient deficiencies.

There are easy ways to address these physical problems such as supplementing with vitamin D3, omega-3 fatty acids and a good multivitamin, exercising, addressing thyroid issues, cutting sugar and soft drinks from your diet, practicing stress-reduction techniques and finding ways to get rid of your insomnia such as supplementing with melatonin. Once you take care of these physical problems, you’ll likely have a whole new outlook on life.

Finally, if you feel like you’re at the end of your rope, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK, where you will be connected to a helpful voice at your local or regional suicide lifeline.

References:

1. Pitman A, et al. The Lancet Psychiatry. June 2014;1(1):86-94.
2. No authors listed. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). May 3, 2013; 62(17):321-5.
3. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
4. Pompili M et al. Psychiatry Res. 2014 Aug 13. [Epub ahead of print.]
5. Kimbrel NA, et al. Psychiatry Res. 2014 Aug 14. [Epub ahead of print.]
6. Scourfield J and Evans R. Am J Mens Health. 2014 Aug 26. [Epub ahead of print.]
7. Duong J and Bradshaw C. J Sch Health. 2014 Oct;84(10):636-45.
8. Conwell Y. Am J Prev Med. 2014 Sep;47(3 Suppl 2):S244-50.
9. The Scientist. http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/31394/title/Suicide-Gene-Identified/.
10. Dayan CM and Panicker V. Eur Thyroid J. Sep 2013;2(3):168-79.
11. Saravanan P, et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Sep;91(9):3389-93.
12. Bernert RA, et al. JAMA Psychiatry. August 13, 2014. [Epub ahead of print.]
13. Kodaka M, et al. Sleep Med. 2014 Apr;15(4):430-5.
14. Mahar I, et al. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2014 Jan;38:173-92.
15. Isbrucker RA and Burdock GA. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2006 Dec;46(3):167-92.
16. Karhumaa T, et al. Neuropsychobiology. 2013;68(4):238-42.
17. Kiraly SJ, et al. The Scientific World Journal. 2006;6:125-39.
18. Umhau JC, et al. PLoS One. Jan 4, 2013;8(1):e51543.
19. McNamara RK, et al. J Psychiatr Res. 2013 Sep;47(9):1187-91.
20. Lewis MD, et al. J Clin Psychiatry. 2011 Dec;72(12):1585-90.
21. Sublette ME, et al. J Clin Psychiatry. 2011 Dec;72(12):1577-84.
22. Pan X, et al. Acta Paediatr. 2011 Nov;100(11):e215-22.
23. Lucas M, et al. The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry. July 2014. 15(5):377-86.
24. Davison KM and Kaplan BJ. Can J Psychiatry. 2012 Feb;57(2):85-92.
25. Eyre HA, et al. Front Psychiatry. Feb 4, 2013. [Epub ahead of print.]
26. Blumenthal JA, et al. Arch Intern Med. 1999 Oct 25;159(19):2349-56.

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.

247 - Value education to de-stress IIT-Kharagpur undergraduates - TNN

Value education to de-stress IIT-Kharagpur undergraduates

TNN | Aug 20, 2014, 12.04AM IST

KOLKATA: From the new academic session, that has just taken off, value education is making an entry into the curriculum of undergraduate students of IIT-Kharagpur.

An all new Vivekananda Center of Excellence is starting at IIT-Kharagpur, funded completely by the Centre, to help students balance the extreme stress conditions that they have to weather for five years of their undergrad programme. Yoga, meditation, simple calming techniques, year-long inspirational workshops and lectures about balanced leadership will form the backbone of the value education content at the Center.

While the institute is in the process of designing the curriculum, the underlying refrain is to find out an effective way of dealing with depression and suicidal tendencies that have been haunting the oldest and biggest IIT campus in the chain for the past six years.

Over this period, 25 students have committed suicide in this institute for not being able to live up to their mirror image that consists of a complex medley of grade points, placements, intense workload and a complete emotional disconnect with their immediate environment. Professors have no choice but to give attention to the top 10-15% brilliant boys and girls who ask the most questions out of their own urge to excel. The next 55%, somehow, manage to keep their grades, while the bottom 30% continue to slip till they either start failing their grades or drop out. At one point, the institute had the ideal ratio of one teacher per 10 students, which has fallen to 25 students now, thanks to the 400 vacant teaching posts that the institute hasn't been able to fill up in the last one decade. At the moment, at least 300 students are being counselled in the institute's counselling centre but that is not enough and hence the Vivekananda Center.

"The idea is not to churn out just first-class engineers. That in any case we are being able to do. In the midst of this competition, several students lose their basic human qualities. Once that happens, stress and depression get an easy walkover. We hope that the new centre will help the students overcome this crisis," said IIT-Kgp director P P Chakraborty.

It's coming up at the centre of a natural lake inside the campus, opposite the gymkhana. The Union ministry of human resources development has granted Rs 15 crore to IIT-Kgp for the centre.

246 - IIT-Delhi student commits suicide - TNN

IIT-Delhi student commits suicide

TNN | Jul 17, 2014, 12.43AM IST

PATNA: A second year student of IIT-Delhi, Ridam Kumar Singh (19), committed suicide at his residence on Mandal Path under Shastri Nagar police station area on Tuesday.

Ridam's father Narendra Kumar Singh, a chief engineer with Indian Railways, was transferred to Patna from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, four months back. The family hails from Agra. Ridam came to Patna one month back to spend his vacation, police said.

"We are trying to ascertain the reason behind the suicide by searching his mobile phone, laptop and other belongings found in his room. His parents have no idea why he committed suicide. He hanged himself from the ceiling fan in his room. When he did not come out, his parents entered the room and found him hanging and rushed him to the railways hospital where he was declared brought dead. There was no suicide note. Initially, the family did not inform the police about the incident," said Shastri Nagar SHO R K Singh.