Friends of Kedar Suresh, the 20-year-old BTech student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras who was found dead on Friday, April 21, alleged that his death was not due to a failed relationship as insinuated by the police. After Kedar was found dead in his hostel room, the Kotturpuram police in Chennai had said that it was a case of suspected suicide. Some reports claimed that the police’s initial probe revealed that the reason behind Kedar’s suicide was heartbreak due to a relationship.
A student who attended a condolence meeting held on the IIT campus on Saturday told TNM on condition of anonymity, “Kedar’s close friends openly told others at the condolence meeting that the reason for his death was not love failure. They said that they didn’t know of him being in any relationship at all.” The student added, “We are not sure of who has spun this narrative – the police or the institute. It feels like the blame was shifted to him and his personal life to keep the institute’s reputation intact.”
One of Kedar’s close friends told TNM that there was no mention of any girl or relationship in his suicide note. “In the note, he simply said that he is not the best person. We saw the media reporting about some failed relationship and we were baffled,” the friend said. “Even if there was a relationship that none of us (his close friends) knew of, it could not have been the only reason for his decision. His marks and grades were okay, there was no professor who was targeting him, there was no girl. It came down to him thinking that he was not the best,” the friend added.
Students who gathered at the condolence meeting added that the institute had put up several new flyers urging them to compete and be the best. “‘Why should you integrate, when you can stand out,’ said one of the flyers that I saw today,” a student said.
This is the fourth case of suicide in IIT Madras within a span on 70 days. On February 13, Steven, a second year research scholar from Maharashtra, was found dead in his hostel room. Vaipu Pushpak Sri Sai, a third year Electrical Engineering student from Andhra Pradesh, was found dead on March 14, and Sachin Kumar Jain, a PhD scholar from West Bengal, was found dead at his house in Velachery on March 31.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.