Dhanbad, March 6 : In a tragic incident, Tanmay Prajapati, a B.Tech student at the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in the Aqua Marine Hostel bathroom on Thursday, officials said.

The discovery of an injection needle near his body has raised concerns about the possible consumption of poisonous or narcotic substances.

Tanmay, a resident of Indore, Madhya Pradesh, had enrolled in the Electronics and Communication Engineering program in 2022 and was set to graduate next year. His untimely demise has left his family, who have been informed of the incident, and the campus community in shock.

The sequence of events unfolded when a fellow student noticed the bathroom door locked from the inside and, after receiving no response to repeated knocks, alerted other students and the hostel's security in-charge.

Upon breaking the door, Tanmay was found unconscious on the floor. He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Law enforcement authorities, including a team led by Dhanbad DSP (Law and Order) Naushad Alam, arrived at the scene to investigate.

According to DSP Alam, initial findings suggest that the student may have died by suicide, potentially involving narcotic substances. However, a thorough investigation has been initiated to explore all possible angles.

An FIR for unnatural death has been registered, and the police have revealed that Tanmay had been struggling with mental health issues in recent months. He had reportedly undergone counselling sessions two to three times at the institute.

This incident has reignited concerns about mental health and well-being on the IIT-ISM campus, which has witnessed several suicides in recent years.

Last year alone, the campus reported the suicides of a security guard and the wife of a professor residing in the premises.

/IANS