Guwahati: A third-year BTech student at IIT Guwahati died after allegedly falling from the fifth floor of a campus building, police said.The student, identified as Ritesh Raj Singh from Puri in Odisha, was pursuing Computer Science and Engineering and lived at the institute’s Brahmaputra Hostel. The incident occurred around 2.30 pm on Sunday.Police have launched an investigation and are not ruling out the possibility of suicide.Additional SP (Crime), Kamrup, Punam Pegu, said, “On being informed by the IIT Guwahati authority, a police team rushed to the institute campus and recovered the body lying on the ground. Some fractures were found in his body during the preliminary investigation.”“We have started the investigation into the case. It is too early to comment on the death. However, all possible angles will be covered in the investigation,” she added.One of the angles that is likely to be examined is whether there was any harassment on campus. Students in the campus said the boy was very cheerful after securing the internship and requested the cops to determine whether he was harassed.Police said no note has been found. The body was sent to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Guwahati, for post-mortem examination and will be handed over to the family after the procedure, the police officer said.Singh reportedly secured an internship with Goldman Sachs and served as the competitive programming head of IIT Guwahati’s Coding Club. He was considered an extremely bright student.IIT Guwahati said it was cooperating with the investigation. “…we are awaiting their findings before we share any further information on this matter. His parents are on their way to the campus, and the Institute is in close contact with the family, providing all necessary support during this difficult time,” it said.Appealing against speculation, the institute said counselling support was available through the SAATHI Counselling Club and the Centre for Holistic Wellbeing. “We urge all students who may be struggling, or who know a friend who is struggling, to reach out to these support systems. We assure that no one on this campus has to face difficult times alone,” the statement said.
