‘I saw my friend hanging from…’: Protests erupt in IIT Guwahati following death of 21-year-old student

Massive protests have erupted in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati following the death of a 21-year-old student. The friends of the deceased student have accused the administration of being insensitive towards students and parents.

The deceased student hailed from Uttar Pradesh and was found dead in a hostel room. This is the fourth such incident reported this year. It is also alleged that the students were allowed to break open the hostel room door when the body was first noticed, according to a report by NDTV.

The protesting students alleged grades have become more important than the lives of the students on the campus.

“I saw through the ventilator my friend was hanging from the fan. The guards stopped us from breaking the door. It took almost 30 minutes before it could be opened. Whether he was alive or not wasn't their concern,” the report quoted a student. He also alleged that the security staff did not permit the nurse to check the pulse of the deceased.

The student stated that they were not allowed to inform the family of the deceased student, and the administration made attempts to delete videos from the phones of students, the report said.

“We lost him, but the body was not brought down the entire night. It was taken down eight hours after the door was opened,” the student said.

“The dean and chairperson of the Hostel Affairs Board came and stopped the students from informing the student's family of the dead student and tried to delete video evidence of the situation,” the report added.

However, IIT Guwahati has not yet responded to the allegations. Following the incident, students have questioned the effectiveness of the institution's mental health and welfare support systems.

IIT Guwahati, in a statement, said that the institution is deeply saddened by the student's death and extended condolences to his family and friends.

“IITG remains dedicated to prioritising the mental health and well-being of our student community during these challenging times,” it said.