A 21-year-old student of Indian Institute of Technology Bombay died in the early hours of Wednesday after falling from the terrace of a hostel building on the Powai campus, police said.
The student, identified as Naman Agarwal, was a second-year BTech (Civil Engineering) student. The incident occurred around 1 am when he fell from the terrace of the nine-storey Hostel No. 4. An accidental death report has been registered, and police said investigations are ongoing to determine whether the fall was accidental or self-inflicted.
Police examine note, CCTV footage
Students studying late at night and a security guard reportedly heard a loud sound and rushed to the spot, finding the student critically injured. He was first taken to the campus hospital, where he was declared dead, and later shifted to Rajawadi Hospital.
Police from Powai Police scanned CCTV footage, which showed the student walking from Hostel No. 3, where he resided, to Hostel No. 4 shortly before the incident. No other students were seen on the terrace at the time.
During a search of his room, police recovered a handwritten note. Officials said the contents are being examined by experts and, at present, it is not being treated as a suicide note. There is no indication of foul play so far.
Second IIT campus death this year
This is the second student death reported on an IIT campus this year. Following a similar incident at IIT Kanpur last month, the Union Education Ministry constituted a three-member committee to review student deaths and recommend measures to strengthen mental health support across IITs.
IIT Bombay informed students of the death in an official email, expressing deep shock and extending condolences to the family