Kolkata: The body of a researcher was found hanging from the ceiling of his hostel room at IIT-Kharagpur on Saturday, marking the fifth suspected case of suicide at the institute this year, officials said.

Harshkumar Pandey (27), a resident of Ranchi, was found dead in his room at BR Ambedkar Hall around 2 pm. Pandey was pursuing a PhD in Mechanical Engineering.

"His parents could not reach him on the phone, and the door of his room was locked from the inside. Subsequently, police were informed and they broke into the room to find his body hanging from the ceiling," an IIT-Kharagpur spokesperson said.

Since January, a total of five students have died by hanging themselves at the institute. The last such incident occurred on July 18, when Ritam Mondal, a fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student, was found dead in his hostel room at Rajendra Prasad Hall.

Additionally, a student died after choking on a pill on July 21. Chandradip Pawar, from Madhya Pradesh, was a second-year Electrical Engineering student.

To address the rising number of suicides on campus, IIT-Kharagpur has introduced several initiatives to help students cope with stress.