IIT Madras Shocked As Two Women Found Hanging Inside Campus

Chennai: On Wednesday, two women, a post-doctoral fellow and wife of a professor committed suicide in separate incidents inside the Indian Institute of Technology - Madras (IIT-M) campus.

The victims were identified as P Maheshwari, a 34-year-old student and G Vijayalakshmi, 47, wife of an Assistant Professor (Physics) there.

According to the police, even as the staff and students could come to terms with the suicide of Vijayalakshmi, who was first spotted hanging, news of another student committing suicide broke out. Vijayalakshmi’s husband Ganesan is an Assistant Professor of Physics and the family resided at Warden quarters inside the campus, police said.

Maheshwari, who was staying at room number 814 of Sabarmathi hostel was pursuing a post doctoral fellowship course in Chemistry and was found hanging in her room around 5 PM by her hostel mates, police said. A married woman, Maheshwari is a native of Puducherry and has a six year old son.

Police sources cited ‘family issues’ as the reason for both the suicides. Kotturpuram Police registered a case of suspicious death under section 174 of CrPC. The bodies were moved to the Government Royapettah Hospital for autopsy.

Meanwhile, in a statement, IIT Madras expressed deep sadness over the death of a post-doctoral research scholar in the campus. “The scholar’s family has been informed. The Institute is taking necessary action and is extending full cooperation to the civil authorities,” the statement read, adding “The Institute extends its deep felt condolences to the family and the near and dear ones of the scholar for the unfortunate, untimely and devastating loss.”