Lucknow: A budding techie from Bihar was discovered hanging from a ceiling fan in his hostel room on the Meerut Institute of Technology (MIT) campus on Saturday. Shivam Bhardwaj (20), a second-year Bachelor of Technology student, was allegedly under pressure to perform well academically as he had faced challenges in passing five of 12 subjects in his first year.
Partapur SHO Jai Karan Singh, “The student’s struggles with academic performance may have led to his decision to end his life. Despite immediate efforts to take him to a medical facility, doctors declared him dead.”
As news of Bhardwaj’s death spread on campus, students gathered, claiming that the deceased had faced pressure from the college administration due to insufficient attendance. Allegedly, the college had insisted he either file an affidavit or leave the campus.
Contradicting these allegations, the college administration said, “Bhardwaj maintained over 75% attendance and lived in close proximity to the classroom. He studied using a ‘Bihar education credit card’. The attendance claim appears to be a misrepresentation by those who failed to meet the required attendance.”
Ajay Chaudhary, the institute’s media head, said, “CCTV footage shows that Bhardwaj, who lived with two roommates, used a plastic thread to hang himself after they left to attend classes.”
Although no suicide note was found, Bhardwaj had shared a message on a WhatsApp group, advising against stressing over studies, a day before the incident. Following the autopsy, his body was sent to his native village, and as of now, no complaints have been filed in the matter.
