A student of IISER Thiruvananthapuram who was in IIT Kharagpur to pursue a summer internship was pronounced dead at the hospital on the campus after he was found unconscious in a hostel on Thursday.
An IISER official said the 20-year-old student, Suriya Deepan G.S., was suffering from cardiac problems.
Suriya Deepan, who was from Tirupur in Tamil Nadu, had been staying at the RK Hall of Residence on the IIT campus, sharing a room with two other students.
“The two roommates woke up around 1.15am on Thursday hearing a groaning sound. As they switched on the lights, they found Suriya Deepan G.S. lying unconscious on the floor. They splashed water on his face, trying to revive him. But that did not work. The hall manager was alerted and the student was taken to the hospital on the campus, where he was declared dead,” said an official at the IIT.
Mahesh Hariharan, registrar-in-charge of the IISER, said Suriya Deepan had a cardiac problem.
“The parents informed us that the boy had been going through health issues related to heart enlargement and doctors had told them that anything might happen to his life. The parents, we understand, tried to persuade him not to go outside for studies, but he seemingly did not relent,” Hariharan said.
Suriya Deepan was pursuing an MS in chemistry.
The registrar-in-charge said: “We were informed at 4am today (Thursday) that Suriya Deepan G.S. was at IIT Kharagpur working in one of the chemistry research groups as an intern, and developed some breathing issues in a room.... The roommates rushed him to the health centre in IIT. Unfortunately, he breathed his last on the way.”
A West Midnapore police officer said: “An unnatural death case has been initiated.”
In October 2022, third-year student Faizan Ahmed was found dead in a hostel room on the IIT campus. A Calcutta High Court-appointed team is probing the death.