A 23-year-old IIT Guwahati M.Tech student hailing from Uttar Pradesh was found hanging in her hostel room on Friday morning.

This is the second suspected suicide death in the premier institute this year.

Police said the deceased, identified as Saumya, was found hanging from the ceiling fan of her room in Disang hostel around 9.30-10am.

“We were informed around 10.15am. Prima facie it looks like a suicide case but we will have to wait for the post-mortem report for official confirmation. She hails from Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar Pradesh. We have informed her family and they are on their way to Guwahati,” an officer said.

The deceased was a second-year student from the electronics and electrical engineering department of IITG, he said.

The police, however, did not share any information about her health or academic status as the investigation was still on.

On its part, the IITG issued a three-line statement on the development bereft of details.

“It is with profound regret that IIT Guwahati reports the tragic death of a female student on campus on 9th August 2024. The matter is being investigated by the Police authorities,” the statement said.

“The student’s immediate family has been informed, and the Institute is providing them full support during this difficult time,” the IIT G statement further said.

On April 10 this year, a 20-year-old first-year B.Tech student, Saurab Kumar, from Bihar’s Samastipur district was similarly found dead by hanging himself in his hostel room.

Last year in January, a 22-year-old B.Tech student from Maharashtra was found dead in his hostel room due to health issues.

Academic stress or health issues take a heavy toll on IIT students because of the highly-competitive environment, those in the know said, urging authorities to look out for stressed-out students and ensure they attend counselling sessions.