Ranchi: In a shocking development, an IIM Ranchi student was found hanging from the ceiling fan of his hostel room with his hands held together by a rope. He was living alone in the hostel room.
The father of the student suspects there is foul play in son's death. The parents have filed an FIR under section 302 at Nagri Police Station, asking the police to investigate it as a murder case.
The police have found no suicide note. The student, who has been identified as Shivam Pandey from Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi, was in the last leg of his Business Analytics degree at IIM Ranchi.
Following the incident, all exams and lectures scheduled for Tuesday, January 17, were cancelled by IIM Ranchi, said a spokesperson from the institute.
When was the student last seen?
Pandey was last seen by his college peers on Sunday night, January 15, when a Lohri party was held on campus. Shivam did not leave his room the following day, missing all his lectures on Monday, said the Jharkhand Police.
"Concerned with his absence, Shivam’s friends repeatedly knocked on his hostel room door. When they received no response, the students peered through a window present above the hostel room's door and found Shivam hanging", said a Nagri Police Officer while speaking to The FPJ. The hostelites alerted the administration and the incident was reported to the police at 2 am on Tuesday.
Family members suspect foul play but police differs
The suspicious conditions under which Shivam’s body was found have led his relatives to believe that there is more to the incident than what meets the eye. “Shivam’s hands were tied up and he was under no stress as far as we know, which leads us to believe that this isn’t a case of suicide. Shivam was already placed with a good package, his family is well off too, they all were about to move into a new house,” said Shivam’s relative while talking to media in a video that surfaced on Twitter.
According to Naushad Alam Ansari, SP Ranchi Rural, no other injuries were found on Shivam’s body. “It is too early for the police to say anything. We have an investigation team in place which is interrogating students at the campus,” said Ansari.
Shivam one of the smartest students, according to peers
Shivam’s friends described him as one of the smartest pupils within the IIM who was also very active in student activities. Shivam finished his BTech from VIT Vellore before enrolling in IIM Ranchi for his MBA.
What IIM Ranchi has to say about the incident
In an official statement addressed to the press, IIM Ranchi said, “The institute authorities informed the police and the student's family members about the incident. Police is investigating the matter, considering all perspectives. The deceased boy's body was retrieved and sent for autopsy and the report is awaited.”
At the moment, all students have been barred from entering the fifth floor of the building where Shivam’s body was found. Only admin members and doctors can access the area. Police officials have visited the campus and await the postmortem report from the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences(RIMS), which is expected to be out on Wednesday, to determine the cause of death.
"The student lived alone in his room which was on the fifth floor. The door was locked from the inside when we found him. There was no way for others to access his room," said an official from the Nagdi Police Station.
The institute has communicated the incident to all the students at IIM Ranchi. “The IIM has a well-established counselling cell for students. But mental health differs from case to case and some students are just not able to get help,” said an IIM Ranchi student.
The unfortunate incident at the institute has left many unnerved, the students said.
