IITian hangs himself

MUMBAI: “Please forgive me. I am very sorry. Mom and Dad, please take care of yourself. Next time I am born, I want to be in the same family.”

That was the suicide note written by IIT student, 27-year-old Balakrishnan Gupta, who ended his life on Saturday by hanging himself in his hostel room.

The incident occurred after the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bombay held its 45th convocation for graduates. Gupta, who hailed from Kanpur, was pursuing his second year PhD in Chemistry at IIT. His body was found by his friends at around 2pm on Saturday.

“Gupta lived alone in his room at Hostel No 12. When he didn’t turn up for lunch, some of his friends knocked on his door.

On receiving no response despite repeated attempts, they called the security guard who forced the door open and found him hanging from the ceiling fan,” said Suhas Rane, senior police inspector, Powai police station.

According to an IIT student, he was “very quiet and dedicated to his studies”. However, some of his friends, on condition of anonymity, claimed that he had  seemed disturbed for the last two months.

Gupta said in his note that he had borrowed money from his friends. He has asked his family to pay back the money. “I am leaving a cheque for Rs10,000 for a friend in Kanpur,” the note said.

IIT authorities did not immediately inform Gupta’s parents, who stay in Kanpur, that their son had committed suicide. They’ve only been told that he is in a “critical condition”.

“We want to alleviate the blow. They will be informed when they arrive in Mumbai,” said an IIT spokesperson.