IIT Kharagpur Student Mohammad Asif Qamar Found Dead in Hostel Room, Fourth Suicide in 2025 Raises Concerns
IIT Kharagpur Student Mohammad Asif Qamar Found Dead in Hostel Room, Fourth Suicide at Institute in 2025 Sparks Concern
In a tragic development that has sent shockwaves across the academic community, Mohammad Asif Qamar, a third-year BTech student of Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, was found hanging in his hostel room on Sunday morning. His lifeless body was discovered inside Madanmohan Malviya Hall, one of the institute’s prominent hostels, marking the fourth student suicide reported from the campus in 2025 alone. The hostel room was locked from inside since Saturday night, prompting concern among fellow students and hostel staff. Upon receiving an alert, police personnel stationed at the campus outpost broke open the door to find the student hanging. Qamar, a native of Seohar district in Bihar, was known to be a diligent student, and his sudden death has left friends, faculty, and family in deep distress. While initial findings suggest suicide, authorities have stated that a formal investigation is ongoing and some leads have already been gathered, though details remain confidential at this stage.
This tragic incident follows a disturbing pattern that has emerged at IIT Kharagpur over the past year. On April 20, Aniket Walkar, a fourth-year student in the Department of Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture, was also found hanging in his hostel room. Earlier, on January 12, the body of another third-year undergraduate student, Shaon Malik, was found in similar circumstances. Going further back, in June 2024, Devika Pillai, a fourth-year student of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering, died by suicide, raising serious questions about the mental health and emotional pressures faced by students at one of India’s premier engineering institutes.
IIT Kharagpur has claimed to have implemented several measures to support student mental health. According to officials, the institute has appointed counselors who are available 24×7, aiming to assist students dealing with stress, anxiety, and depression. In a step taken after the April suicide case, the institution introduced scannable barcodes on the doors of all hostel boarders. These QR codes provide instant access to mental health counseling, designed to offer privacy and immediate help during moments of acute emotional crisis. However, these initiatives have seemingly not been enough to prevent the string of tragedies, prompting concerns about their effectiveness and reach.
Acting Director of IIT Kharagpur, Professor Amit Patra, expressed deep sorrow over the recent deaths and stated that a special committee has been constituted to investigate the circumstances surrounding these suicides. The committee is expected to submit its recommendations within three days. “The well-being, happiness, and academic success of our students matter to us. They are our children,” said Patra, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to addressing the growing mental health concerns on campus.
The repeated loss of young lives at IIT Kharagpur highlights an urgent need for a more robust and empathetic approach to student welfare, academic pressure, and psychological support. As the police continue their probe into the death of Mohammad Asif Qamar, the institution and society at large are left grappling with difficult questions about the price of academic excellence and the emotional toll it takes on students.
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