MBBS student dies by suicide at AIIMS-Bhubaneshwar, leaves note for brother

Ratnesh Kumar Mishra, a 21-year-old student from Assam's Diburugarh was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his hostel room

A second-year MBBS student took his own life at the All India Institute Of Medical Science (Aiims) Bhubaneswar campus, police reported on Thursday, according to a report by PTI.

 

Ratnesh Kumar Mishra, a 21-year-old student from Assam’s Dibrugarh,  was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his hostel room on Wednesday.

 

Mishra left a note in his hostel room where he mentioned that no one was responsible for his death. 

 

The police believe that financial problem at home may have been the reason behind the student's suicide.

Student leaves voice note for parents

According to the police, Mishra had also sent a voice note to his younger brother, in which he requested their father not to sell their land and urged his brother to pursue a career in medicine but stay in Assam.

 

 

Mishra’s second-year exams were set to begin on Thursday, and he had returned to the campus in Bhubaneswar after a 10-day vacation, with his father accompanying him this time.

 

On Wednesday, Mishra was scheduled to visit the temple town of Puri with his father, who was staying at a hotel outside the campus. The father told reporters that he had spoken to Mishra in the morning but was unable to reach him later that day. After several unanswered calls, he rushed to the hostel and found the door locked from the inside.

 

When repeated knocking brought no response, the father, with the help of some students, broke into the room to find Mishra's body.

 

He was rushed to the hospital's Emergency Room, where he was pronounced dead by the police.

 

Aiims-Bhubaneswar Director Ashutosh Biswas visited the hostel room later in the day.

Growing students suicide cases in India

Student suicides in India have surged significantly over the past decade. Data  from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows that over the last decade (2013–2022), student suicides have increased by 64 per cent, resulting in a staggering 103,961 deaths, with the trend showing an upward trajectory. In 2022 alone, a total of 13,044 student suicides were recorded.

 

The IC3 Institute, a volunteer-based organisation that offers guidance and training resources to high schools worldwide, highlights that student suicides are rising at an annual rate of 4 per cent.

 

While the 2017 Mental Healthcare Act decriminalised suicide attempts for individuals with mental illnesses, underreporting of student suicides remains a significant concern.

 

Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh report the highest number of student suicides, accounting for nearly one-third of all such deaths in the country.