Daijiworld Media Network - Vasco

Vasco, Feb 2: A 20-year-old female engineering student of BITS Pilani’s Goa campus allegedly died by suicide by hanging herself in her hostel room, police said on Monday.

The deceased has been identified as Vishnavi Jitesh, a third-year student of Electronics and Communication Engineering, originally from Bengaluru. She was found hanging from the ceiling fan with a bedsheet around her neck in her hostel room late on Sunday night, a senior police official said.

According to police, the Verna police station received a call around 11.30 pm on Sunday reporting that a female student had allegedly taken the extreme step in her room. Police rushed to the spot and initiated preliminary investigation proceedings.

This is the sixth case of suicide reported on the BITS Pilani campus in Vasco over the last two years, raising serious concerns over student mental health and academic pressure.

The issue of student suicides at the institute had also been raised during the recent winter session of the Goa legislative assembly, when Chief Minister Pramod Sawant informed the House that some students had died by suicide due to examination-related stress.

Meanwhile, the institute is yet to issue an official statement on Sunday night’s incident. Police said further inquiry is underway to ascertain the circumstances that led to the student’s death.