Tezpur University Student Found Dead in Hostel Room; Police Probe Underway

A 20-year-old student of Tezpur University in Assam was found dead in his hostel room on campus on Wednesday afternoon, with police saying the initial investigation pointed to suicide by hanging.

The fifth-semester BSc student, a resident of Nagaon district pursuing the Integrated Chemistry course, was found hanging in a room that was locked from the inside, Sonitpur Senior Superintendent of Police Barun Purkayastha said.

According to university registrar Chandan Goswami, the student shared the room with another boarder who had left for classes in the morning. When the roommate returned at around 1:30 pm, he found the door bolted from within and spotted his roommate hanging through the ventilator. The police were informed immediately.

Purkayastha said the information reached the police around 1:30 pm and a team was rushed to the campus. The body was brought down and sent to Kanaklata Civil Hospital, where doctors confirmed the death before a postmortem was conducted.

Some students told reporters that the deceased had left behind a diary carrying a note about his life and death. Police confirmed that a diary was recovered but declined to disclose its contents.

The SSP said the student's family arrived in Tezpur and took custody of the body at around 7 pm. "We are investigating the matter. University authorities are cooperating with us," he said, adding that statements of other students and staff familiar with the incident would be recorded in accordance with the law.

The registrar said the university will hold a condolence event on the campus on Thursday.