ICT Mumbai student Siddhesh Patil dies by suicide in hostel

Siddhesh Patil, a 19-year-old second-year chemical engineering student at the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) in Matunga, Mumbai, died by suicide in his hostel room on Tuesday night. Patil, originally from Nashik, had reportedly been undergoing treatment for depression for the past three years.

According to preliminary investigations, Patil sent a message to his psychiatrist hours before the incident, stating he was experiencing suicidal thoughts. The doctor immediately alerted Patil's family, who contacted his hostel friends to check on him. However, friends arrived too late to prevent the tragedy.

Following the incident, the institute has shifted second-year classes to an online format for one week and cancelled laboratory sessions and tests. The death has sparked protests by members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena, who criticized the campus authorities' response. The incident has renewed discussions regarding mental health and academic pressure within India's premier technical institutions, following a similar recent death at IIT Bombay.