Mumbai's Institute of Chemical Technology campus, where police are investigating the death of a second-year student. (Img: X)
Mumbai: A 19-year-old student of Mumbai’s Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) died by suicide in his hostel room on Tuesday night, raising fresh concerns about student mental health and the adequacy of support systems at educational institutions.
The deceased, Siddhesh Patil, was a second-year Chemical Engineering student. According to reports, he was undergoing treatment for depression and had contacted his doctor earlier on Tuesday evening, expressing suicidal thoughts.
The doctor subsequently alerted Patil’s parents, who reached out to students at the institute and asked them to check on him. However, by the time his friends reached his hostel room, he had already died. The incident took place at ICT’s Matunga campus in central Mumbai. The police have initiated an investigation, and the circumstances surrounding the student’s death are being examined.
The police have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in connection with the incident. Further details are awaited as the investigation progresses. According to media reports, fellow students attempted to revive Patil before he was taken to Sion Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. The institute’s administration has not yet publicly disclosed the full circumstances leading to the incident.
Patil’s death comes amid continuing protests at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay following the death of another second-year student, Sahil Wakode, in September. Wakode’s death triggered campus-wide demonstrations and demands for greater accountability, stronger mental health services and reforms in the institute’s student welfare mechanisms. His family also alleged caste-based harassment, an allegation denied by the institute. A police investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death is underway.
The developments have brought renewed attention to the emotional and academic pressures faced by students in higher education institutions, as well as the need for accessible counselling, timely intervention and effective support networks on campuses. While the two incidents have occurred within a short period in Mumbai’s higher education community, there is no established evidence linking them directly.
