Daijiworld Media Network – Goa

Goa, Sep 5: A second-year student of BITS Pilani’s Goa campus was found dead in his hostel room on Thursday, marking the fifth such case on the campus in the last 10 months.

Police said the student, enrolled in the integrated MSc Physics programme after transferring from the Hyderabad campus earlier this year, was found lying on his bed with no injury marks.

He was reportedly under treatment and on prescribed antidepressants. Authorities have initiated inquest proceedings, with the exact cause of death to be confirmed after post-mortem.

According to police, the student’s partner had died by suicide a few months ago in Hyderabad. His family had also recently shifted to Goa. The incident was reported around noon after hostel authorities were alerted when the student failed to respond to calls from his parents.

The latest case comes weeks after a 20-year-old student was found dead in his hostel room last month. Earlier, three deaths reported since December 2024 had prompted the institute to launch an internal inquiry and announce a series of measures, including counselling support, curriculum revamp, 24x7 helpline, psychiatrist consultations and wellness courses.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant confirmed that a committee under the District Collector has been formed to probe the recent incidents. “The report will be reviewed and directives issued to prevent such tragedies,” he said.

Meanwhile, opposition parties hit out at both the government and the institute, alleging “systemic negligence”. Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao said the repeated incidents reflected a collapse of campus safety and mental-health support. Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai demanded an independent investigation, terming the spate of deaths a “disturbing pattern” rather than isolated cases.