A second-year Chemical Engineering student at Mumbai’s Institute of Chemical Technology died by suicide in his hostel room on Tuesday night, prompting a police investigation and renewed attention to student welfare systems on the city’s campuses.
The 19-year-old, Siddhesh Patil, was found in his room on the second floor of Hostel 5 at ICT’s Matunga campus. The incident is believed to have occurred between 10 pm and midnight, according to information reported by the Indian Express.
A senior institute official confirmed the death and said the police had been informed. The Matunga police registered an Accidental Death Report and said they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the death. “A 19-year-old second-year Chemical Engineering student at the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) was found dead in his hostel room. We have registered an Accidental Death Report,” the police said.
The police said the cause of death had not yet been determined. “We await the post mortem analysis to determine the cause of the death. We will record the statements of his family and friends to ascertain why he took extreme steps. We are investigating the matter,” they said.
ICT has not issued a formal public statement, but Vice-Chancellor A B Pandit informed students and faculty members through a message circulated on campus. The message said the police had been informed, statements had been prepared and necessary steps had been taken to release the student’s mortal remains to his family.
Patil was from Nashik. A classmate told the Indian Express that he had been undergoing treatment for depression with a doctor in Mumbai. The classmate said Patil had spoken to the doctor on Tuesday night about wanting to end his life, after which the doctor alerted his parents. His parents then contacted students at the hostel and asked them to check on him.
According to the classmate, students found Patil after reaching his room. The institute administration took him to a hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. The account has not been independently confirmed by the police in the information supplied for this report.
The death comes a month after Sahil Wakode, a 20-year-old second-year BTech student at IIT Bombay, died by suicide on September 18. Wakode’s death led to protests at the Powai campus, with students seeking an independent investigation, greater transparency in disciplinary proceedings and changes to student welfare and mental-health support systems.
Wakode’s parents alleged that he had faced caste-based discrimination and harassment by a faculty member, allegations denied by IIT Bombay. Police registered an abetment-to-suicide case based on the family’s complaint and transferred the investigation to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch. Protests continued into October, and on October 18, police detained Wakode’s parents and student protesters while clearing a demonstration near the IIT Bombay main gate.
There is no indication of a link between the deaths at ICT and IIT Bombay. The Matunga police investigation, including the post-mortem analysis and statements from the student’s family and friends, will determine the next official findings in the ICT case.
