Engineering student dies by suicide in hostel in Jharkhand

NEW DELHI: The body of a 20-year-old engineering student was found hanging from the ceiling fan of his hostel room in Jharkhand's Ranchi, police said on Wednesday. The student, a resident of Hesla village in Ramgarh district, died allegedly by suicide on Tuesday, a senior officer said. "A suicide note was recovered from his room in which he sought an apology from his parents," Ranchi Sadar Police Station in-charge Laxmikant told PTI.

The student of the Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Mesra, was identified as Piyush Raj. Laxmikant, who was also a circle inspector of the Mesra area, said, "In our preliminary investigation, it was found that the man was an introvert and he used to keep himself away from other students on the campus."

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Raj was in his hostel room on Tuesday, and didn't attend the classes in the morning, the officer said, adding that he was also absent from the evening assembly. "When his colleagues visited the hostel in search of him, they found his room locked from inside. They immediately called the administration of the institution. They broke the lock and found him hanging from the ceiling fan," he said. The student's body was sent to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for post-mortem examinations.

If you know someone – friend or family member – at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. Those in distress or having suicidal thoughts or tendencies could seek help and counselling by calling 9820466726 or visiting AASRA’s official website or can call iCALL on 9152987821. Here are some more helpline numbers of suicide prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.