Daijiworld Media Network – Kurukshetra

Kurukshetra, May 11: A 30-year-old mess worker at National Institute of Technology Kurukshetra was found dead in a suspected suicide case on Monday, raising fresh concerns over a series of deaths reported at the institute in recent months.

The deceased, identified as Kaushal, was a native of Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh and worked as a cook in the hostel mess.

According to police, his body was found hanging from a tree with a rope near the mess area outside Hostel No. 4 during the early morning hours.

This is the fifth reported suicide-linked death at the institute within the last three months. Earlier, four students had allegedly died by suicide in separate incidents.

After spotting the body, fellow staff members alerted institute authorities and the police.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Vinod Kumar said the body was taken into custody and sent for postmortem examination.

Police said family members informed investigators that Kaushal was heavily addicted to alcohol.

According to officials, he had reportedly remained absent from duty on Sunday after consuming excessive liquor.

His wife reportedly told police that Kaushal left home around 5 am on Monday saying he was going to work, but the family later received news of his death.

The latest incident has once again intensified concerns over the rising number of suicide cases at the institute.

Last month, the Haryana Human Rights Commission initiated a detailed inquiry into recent suicide incidents reported at NIT Kurukshetra.

The institute had also formed a five-member committee last month to investigate the recent student suicide cases on campus.