IIT Bombay second-year BTech student dies by suicide

A second-year BTech student at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) has reportedly died by suicide in the early hours of February 4, police sources have confirmed. An FIR has been filed in the case.

Naman Aggrawal, IIT Bombay's second-year civil engineering student from hostel 4 (H4), took his own life between midnight and 1 am on February 4, an IIT Bombay official told Academia360. The incident has triggered widespread anger on campus, with students pointing at administrative decisions and deteriorating hostel conditions as contributing factors to mounting mental health pressure, posts shared on the institute’s subreddit said.

Meanwhile, the engineering institute has also cancelled a scheduled press conference for a faculty member recently selected for the Padma Shri award.

IIT Bombay admin won't do anything: Students

While IIT Bombay issued a statement expressing condolences, students have voiced skepticism about institutional accountability. “The untimely death has shocked us to the core. It is very unfortunate that a promising career came to a premature end in such a manner. His death has saddened the entire community on IIT campus. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. We pray that they find the strength to cope with this immense loss,” the IIT-B statement read.

“The administration won't do anything apart from shirking their responsibility and letting the media know it was not their fault and they are taking stringent measures to prevent mental issues. They organize SWC (student wellness centre) events and bring in therapy experts, but what's the point when they don't even want to listen to students?” read a post by an IIT Bombay student on the subreddit.

The posts further include students’ agony related to the ongoing hostel shifts and alleged poor living conditions in H4. They claimed that they were shifted mid-semester without proper facilities such as internet connectivity, cleanliness and mess services.

One of the reddit posts also alleged that there was no proper consultation for changing hostels in the middle of semester exams. “There is even a poll on the H17 discussions group about this that was not even discussed. I myself have tried reaching out to the SWC specialists and even attended 5-6 sessions; they are not of much use,” a user wrote.

Supreme Court, NTF, IIT suicides

In March 2025, the Supreme Court established a National Task Force (NTF) on Mental Health of Students and Prevention of Suicides in Higher Education Institutes. Following which, the task force launched a survey on student well-being across the country.

Notably, over 16 lakh responses were received by the NTF through the survey. After analysing the responses, and taking other factors into consideration, the task force submitted a report stating that around 65% of institutions surveyed had no access to mental health professionals, and nearly three-quarters had no full-time counsellors.

Acting on report submitted by the task force, the apex court, on January 16, 2026, issued several instructions, making institutions responsible for taking steps to prevent suicides.

The instructions stated that the higher education institutions cannot remove students from hostels, deny them to appear for exams or remove them from classes if their scholarships are not disbursed on time.

Moreover, the colleges have to report all “unnatural deaths” to the police, even if they occur outside of campus and regardless of the mode of study. Even students of online programmes are covered.

Last month, a PhD student at IIT Kanpur died after he allegedly jumped from the sixth floor of a residential building on the campus. The institute witnessed another death of a final-year BTech student of biological sciences and bioengineering after he was found dead in his hostel room.

If you know someone – friend or family member – at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. Those in distress or having suicidal thoughts or tendencies could seek help and counselling by calling 9820466726 or visiting AASRA’s official website or can call iCALL on 9152987821. Here are some more helpline numbers of suicide prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.