25-year-old IIM Ahmedabad student found hanging inside dorm
A 25-year-old student of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad was found hanging inside her dorm on the institute's campus on Wednesday, the police said. The deceased, identified as Drishti Raj Kahnani, was reportedly a second-year student of a postgraduate program in management (PGPM) course. The police suspect the student died by suicide, however, no note has been recovered so far.
According to reports, Kahnani's room had been bolted from the inside since morning on Wednesday. As she did not come out for lunch, her friends went to the room to check on her. When Kahnani did not open the door, and as several phone calls went unanswered, the friends alerted the hostel administration. The guards then broke open the door and found her hanging.
The Satellite police station received a call from the IIM administration around 4 pm on Wednesday, The Indian Express reported. The police did not find any suicide note in her room, the report stated. The police have been questioning her colleagues and consulting the campus doctor to find out if there was any medical history associated with the student, an officer told TIE.
"We have sent her cellphone to the forensic science laboratory to find out clues for her decision to take such an extreme step," a police officer was quoted as saying by The Times of India. "The body has been sent to Sola Civil hospital for a post-mortem examination," the officer said, adding that an accidental death report has been filed.
The deceased was a native of Muzaffarpur in Bihar. She had attained an undergraduate degree from the Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) under Delhi University. Expressing shock, a staff member told TOI that she was "one of the promising students with academic brilliance."
In an official statement, IIM Ahmedabad authorities expressed grief over the student's "untimely demise." The statement said, "The institute assures and is committed to overcoming this situation, dealing with compassion and offering enduring support to the bereaved members of Ms. Drishti's family and the IIMA community at large." A prayer meeting has been scheduled for Thursday at the Louis Kahn Plaza.
