Latest news with #AyushSinghal
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First Post
20 hours ago
- Health
- First Post
‘Vomited, tried cleaning it up': Family questions IIT Delhi scholar's death on campus
A 25-year-old PhD student at IIT Delhi was found dead in his hostel room on Wednesday under mysterious circumstances. The family, while speaking exclusively to Firstpost, has ruled out suicide as the cause of death. read more Ayush Singhal, a 25-year-old PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at IIT Delhi, was found dead in his hostel room on Wednesday. His family, who remember him as a bright and diligent scholar with aspirations to advance biomedical research after initially studying dentistry, do not believe he died by suicide and suspect other causes instead. 'He had returned from AIIMS, where he was working on a project, had his dinner, and went for a walk with a friend. On Wednesday, when we couldn't get in touch with him, we informed the university,' said his maternal uncle, Harish Garg. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He said, 'There were anti-vomiting medicines and a bottle of ORS near him. It looked like he had tried to clean up vomit beside his bed'. Singhal's PhD research was based at IIT Delhi, with much of his lab work conducted at AIIMS. After the administration intervened, his room door was forcibly opened, and he was found unresponsive on his bed. There were no visible external injuries, but vomit on the floor suggested possible health complications. 'It could be food poisoning or a heart attack. We will know more after the post-mortem,' Garg said. The family is awaiting the outcome of the post-mortem at Safdarjung Hospital. His mother fainted at the hospital due to the shock. Singhal is survived by his mother and younger sister; his father, a dentist, passed away in 2002. IIT Delhi officials expressed deep grief over the incident and extended full support to the family. Dean of Student Affairs, Professor BK Panigrahi, is reported to have written an email to students, urging them to seek counselling if needed and emphasised the importance of supporting each other during this difficult time. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This death has drawn attention to a worrying pattern on the IIT Delhi campus, where several students have died under similar circumstances. Official records, cited in media reports, indicate that at least 12 students have died on campus between 2006 and 2024, with many cases involving isolation and delayed discovery of the body. The majority were male students, and the deaths span undergraduate to PhD levels, with some ruled suicides and others under investigation. Current and former students describe a culture of intense academic pressure and social isolation, especially among PhD scholars, who often have small social circles confined mostly to their labs. Safety protocols limiting hostel room access have inadvertently reduced peer interaction, making it difficult to check on students who become unresponsive. One PhD student, quoted by The Indian Express, said, 'The life of a PhD student is completely different in an IIT. We are in our own world and more isolated than the rest of the MTech or BTech students. Our social circles are small, and mostly our peers in the labs would know more about what is happening with us than the ones in the hostel or other friends on campus.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Following up on previous demands, IIT Delhi had commissioned an external committee to examine the institutional environment related to student suicides. The report, submitted in August 2024, highlighted high academic pressure, toxic competitiveness, and also indicated caste and gender discrimination as key issues. However, the institute only publicly acknowledged these findings in April 2025 and is now working on a comprehensive action plan to improve student support structures. The circumstances surrounding Ayush Singhal's death remain under investigation by the Delhi Police, with the post-mortem report awaited to clarify the cause. Family and friends have not raised suspicions of foul play, but the family's doubts about suicide persist.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Indian Express
IIT Delhi stares at a challenge: 12 students have died on campus since 2006, show its records
An ambulance sat parked outside Dronagiri hostel of IIT Delhi in the afternoon sun as a 30-year-old PhD student hurried past on Wednesday. He had spent another grueling day in the lab, the familiar rhythm of research and deadlines filling his mind. But the sight of the emergency vehicle outside made him stop and look. 'That is when I realised something had happened,' he would later recall. What he didn't know yet was that inside the hostel, another student was found dead — the body undiscovered for days. Ayush Singhal, a 25-year-old student pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, had not been seen or heard from since Monday night. When his body was finally discovered on Wednesday, it marked yet another pointer to what appears to be a pattern of students disappearing into their rooms, cut off from the world, until the smell of a decomposing body alerts their neighbours. The cause of death of the student is yet to be declared. According to official records accessed by The Indian Express, at least 12 students have died on the IIT Delhi campus between 2006 and 2024, with 10 of them being male students and two female. The deaths span across different academic programmes —from undergraduate, postgraduate to PhD students—but share common threads: isolation, delayed discovery, and rooms locked from the inside. Six of 12 students belonged to the Scheduled Caste Communities, two from the OBC background, and four from the General category. Five of these deaths were suicides that took place in 2023 and 2024, with the most recent in October 2024. Two were reported in the year 2021. All students were campus residents. In September 2023, a 21-year-old BTech student from the SC community was found hanging in his hostel room in a decomposed state. Just months earlier, in July 2023, another 20-year-old BTech student was discovered hanging after his family traveled to Delhi when he stopped responding to calls and texts for two days. 'The life of a PhD student is completely different in an IIT,' explains the 30-year-old student who saw the ambulance on Wednesday. 'We are in our own world and more isolated than the rest of the MTech or BTech students. Our social circles are small, and mostly our peers in the labs would know more about what is happening with us than the ones in the hostel or other friends on campus.' On Wednesday evening, B.K. Panigrahi, Dean, Student Affairs, wrote an email to students: 'While we try to deal with the terrible pain and sorrow, the loss to his family and friends is unimaginable. This challenging time reminds us of the constant need to be there for each other. You are also requested to reach out to the multiple counselling avenues in our system if you need help in coping with this tragedy. Of course, all faculty and administration are also there for any support.' 'Every time a student dies, the administration tells us we must be there for each other, but nothing changes,' he adds. At Dronagiri hostel, one of the newest facilities on campus, students said safety protocols designed to protect both male and female students have created an unintended consequence: friends from other hostels cannot visit rooms, limiting interactions to common areas or outside spaces. 'How would a friend check if the student is not picking up their phone or has not been responding?' asked a 27-year-old fifth-year PhD student who formerly lived at Dronagiri. While undergraduate students grapple with coursework and semester grades, PhD students face a different challenge entirely. 'The academic pressure for PhD students is very different compared to BTech students,' explained another student. 'For PhD students, the pressure is to make nice with the supervisor and to be on good terms as the grading and support on campus depend upon them.' Perhaps most troubling is how normalised this isolation has become, some of them feel. The gender dimension of this crisis cannot be ignored. A day scholar pursuing his fifth year of PhD at IIT Delhi said, 'The culture of socialisation is very poor amongst male students on campus as compared to female students. When I look at my female student friends on campus, they have a better social group and an outlet to release their pressure. But for male students, that seems difficult. They don't share campus pressure at home or with friends, they tend to cope with it by themselves.' The campus data supports this observation—of the 12 recorded deaths, only two were female. 'Just because we have managed to secure admission at IIT, it is an unsaid thing on campus—it is expected of us to deal with the pressure,' said the 30-year-old student. The solution, according to students, lies not just in mental health resources but in fundamental changes to campus culture. 'There needs to be more initiatives from the administration's side to promote social interaction within hostel campuses,' suggests the day scholar. 'The healthy conversation about academic pressure is still not happening amongst students. It is more prevalent in the case of younger students doing their undergraduation as this conversation doesn't happen even amongst their groups.' The Indian Express reached out to Public Relations Officer Shiv Yadav and Director Rangan Banerjee over calls, messages, and emails, but received no response in the matter. Last year, after students demanded that IIT Delhi set up an external committee to examine the 'institutional processes and environment' in the context of student suicides. The panel's report, submitted in August 2024, flagged high academic pressure, a grading system that reinforces 'toxic competitiveness,' and caste and gender discrimination as key triggers on campus. However, it was learnt and earlier reported by The Indian Express that the report languished without response for months—even as another student died by suicide in October 2024, a month after the panel submitted its recommendations. It wasn't until April 2025 that IIT Delhi publicly acknowledged the findings, admitting that factors affecting student well-being—from 'excessively competitive environments' and 'coaching culture' to 'social biases of caste and gender'—had been 'identified by the institute and discussed at multiple forums.' The institution stated it is developing a 'comprehensive action plan' to strengthen student support structures, with the report to be tabled before the Institute's Board of Governors along with implementation measures.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
‘Studied to be dentist, wanted to be biomedical scholar': Family of IIT Delhi found dead in hostel room
A bright, intelligent, and diligent person who wanted to become a biomedical scholar: this is how the family of IIT Delhi student Ayush Singhal remembers him as they wait while the postmortem is conducted. Singhal (25), who was pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, was found dead in his hostel room on Wednesday. His family members, who came to Safdarjung Hospital for the postmortem on Thursday, emphasised that they do not suspect that he died by suicide. His mother had to be taken away from the hospital after she fainted. 'He went to AIIMS to work on his PhD project and came back to the hostel,' said Harish Garg, his maternal uncle, explaining that while Singhal's PhD was being pursued in IIT, the project's lab work was generally carried out in AIIMS. 'When we went to his room (on Wednesday), there were anti-vomiting medicines there along with a bottle of ORS. There were also signs of him trying to clean the vomit up from next to his bed, but I think he died in the midst of it,' said Garg. According to the student's family, the postmortem results were due soon, even as the doctors had indicated to them that his death was not unnatural. 'They have taken samples from his stomach and sent them for testing,' a family member said. Singhal is survived by his mother and a younger sister. His father, who was a dentist, had passed away in 2002, his relatives said, After that, his mother, who is also a dentist, brought up the children. Singhal completed his Bachelor's in Dental Surgery (BDS) from National Dental College, Dera Bassi, before he went for further studies at IIT Ropar. He had begun his doctoral studies at IIT-Delhi last January. During the police investigation, his batchmates said that Singhal was last seen on Monday while eating dinner before he went to his room, after which no one saw him. When he remained unresponsive through the next day, fellow students alerted the security staff, who then called the police. When fire officials broke his door open, they found Singhal lying unresponsive in his bed. Medical staff from IIT-Delhi who examined him at the scene declared him dead. 'There were no visible external injuries found on the body. However, some vomit was observed on the floor, indicating possible health-related complications. The Crime Team and Forensic Team were called to the spot for further investigation and examination,' said a police officer on Wednesday.
Indian Express
21-04-2025
- General
- Indian Express
JEE Advanced mock test link activated, registration to start from April 23
JEE Advanced Mock Test 2025: Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur has activated the link to JEE Advanced mock test ahead of the JEE Advanced scheduled on May 18. Qualified candidates can register for the mock test at the official website- and appear for the practice test. The online registration for JEE (Advanced) 2025 for JEE (Main) 2025 will start for the qualified candidates from 10 am onwards on April 23 and close on May 2, 2025 till 11:59 pm. The last date for fee payment of registered candidates is also May 5, 2025. JEE Main 2025 Results: These 3 students from Maharashtra score 100 percentile in session 2 As per the JEE Advanced exam pattern 2025, there will be two papers: Paper I & Paper II. Candidates have to compulsorily appear for both papers. The paper I and II will be conducted on the same day and their duration will be 3 hours each. How to register for JEE Advanced mock test? Step 1: Visit the official website, Step 2: Locate 'Resources' tab on the home page. Under it, check the section titled 'Practice Test for JEE Advance 2025' Step 3: Select paper 1 or paper 2 for practising mock test based on your preference Step 4: Finally, start the test to familiarise yourself with the interface and pattern. Candidates can also appear for the mock test by clicking here. Students can download the admit card for JEE Advance from May 11 to 18. The final answer key and results will be announced on June 2. JEE Main Result 2025 National Testing Agency announced the Joint Entrance Exam Main (JEE Main) session 2 result on April 19 at its official website. Ayush Singhal topped the exam by achieving All India Rank 1 in JEE Main exam. In the April 2025 Session 2 of JEE Main Paper 1, a total of 9,92,350 candidates appeared for the exam, including 6,81,871 females and 3,10,479 males. Among them, the General category had the highest number of candidates at 3,72,675 (2,50,849 females and 1,21,826 males), followed by the OBC category with 3,74,860 candidates (2,58,274 females and 1,16,586 males). The EWS category recorded 1,12,790 candidates (80,200 females and 32,590 males), SC had 97,887 (68,872 females and 29,015 males), and ST had the lowest number of candidates with 34,138 (23,676 females and 10,462 males). Once again, female candidates outnumbered males in every category.
