IIT-Kanpur PhD scholar ends life by hanging in hostel room
Kanpur (UP), Feb 10 (PTI): A 24-year-old PhD scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology here ended his life by hanging himself from the ceiling of his hostel room on Monday, police said.
The incident came to light in the evening when calls made to Ankit Yadav (24), a Noida resident pursuing a PhD in chemistry, by his friends went unanswered.
Sensing trouble, Yadav's hostel mates informed the IIT-Kanpur authorities, who in turn alerted the police and rushed to the room, said Additional DCP (west) Vijendra Dwivedi.
"We received information about the suicide around 5 pm after which we along with local police arrived there. By the time police reached there, the IIT-Kanpur authorities had already taken out the body after breaking open the door and shot a video of it as evidence," the police officer told PTI.
A suicide note was found in the room in which Yadav stated that he took the extreme step of his own will and blamed nobody for it.
The police said a forensic team was called to collect evidence.
The exact reasons behind the suicide will only be revealed after a preliminary probe, Dwivedi told PTI, adding the body has been sent for post-mortem and the family members have also arrived at the institute.
In a statement, the institute said, "IIT-K mourns the tragic and untimely demise of Ankit Yadav, a PhD scholar in the Department of Chemistry, here today. Yadav was a promising research scholar who joined the institute in July 2024, with an UGC Fellowship."
The reason for the drastic step is uncertain at this stage, however, IIT-K is actively cooperating with the police and forensic team in the ongoing investigation, it said, adding the institute is committed to taking all necessary steps to prevent such unfortunate incidents.
On October 10 last year, 28-year-old PhD student Pragati Kharya ended her life by hanging herself from the ceiling hook inside her hostel room. On January 18, 29-year-old PhD student Priyanka Jaiswal who was pursuing a PhD in Chemical engineering allegedly committed suicide inside her hostel room.
On January 11, 2024, an MTech second-year student Vikas Kumar Meena (31) allegedly hanged himself from the ceiling fan in his IIT-Kanpur hostel room, reportedly after he was "temporarily" barred from continuing with his course. On December 19, 2023, postdoctoral researcher Pallavi Chilka (34) hanged herself from the ceiling fan of her hostel room.
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‘Bulldozer Justice’ is like bulldozing the Constitution: Justice Ujjal Bhuyan
New Delhi: Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan has strongly criticised the practice of demolishing the properties of individuals accused of crimes, equating it to bulldozing the Constitution and undermining the rule of law.
Speaking at the 13th Justice PN Bhagwati International Moot Court Competition on Human Rights at Bharati Vidyapeeth New Law College in Pune, Justice Bhuyan described the trend as "disturbing" and "depressing." He questioned the justification of such actions, often defended as targeting illegal structures, and highlighted their impact on the families of the accused.
"Using a bulldozer to demolish a property is like running a bulldozer over the Constitution. It is a negation of the very concept of the rule of law and, if not checked, would destroy the very edifice of our justice delivery system," he said, as quoted by Bar and Bench.
The practice of ‘bulldozer justice’ gained prominence in Uttar Pradesh under the Yogi Adityanath government in 2017 and has since been adopted in other states. The Supreme Court had previously deemed this approach unacceptable under the rule of law.
Justice Bhuyan emphasised that demolitions impact not just the accused but their families as well. "In that house, his mother stays there, his sister stays there, his wife stays there, his children stay there. What is their fault?" he asked. He further questioned whether it was justifiable to render an accused or even a convicted person homeless through such measures.
On the same day, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, responding to queries about the recent violence in Nagpur, indicated that the government might consider similar measures. "The Maharashtra government has its own style of working… bulldozer will roll when necessary," he said.
Violence erupted in central Nagpur following rumours that a sacred text was burnt during an agitation by a right-wing group demanding the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.
Justice Bhuyan, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2023 after serving as Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court, reiterated the importance of upholding due process and warned against actions that undermine constitutional principles.
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