Another BITS Pilani Goa Student Found Dead in Hostel, Panel Flags ‘Suicide Contagion’
A 20-year-old student of BITS Pilani’s Goa campus was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday night in a suspected suicide, marking the sixth student death on the campus in the past 15 months and reigniting concerns over student mental health and institutional safeguards.
Police said the incident was reported around 10 pm by college authorities, after which a team from South Goa reached the campus. The student, a native of Karnataka, was pursuing Electronics and Communication Engineering. Investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding her death.
Following a cluster of student deaths reported in September last year, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had constituted a district-level monitoring committee to probe the cases. Sources familiar with the panel’s findings said the committee met twice in September 2025 and observed that “suicide contagion”—where exposure to suicidal behavior can influence others—may be contributing to the rise in cases on campus.
A senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the committee examined five earlier cases and noted indications of “copycat” behavior in multiple instances. According to the state government’s disclosures in the Assembly, five students died by suicide in 2024–2025, with most cases occurring during exam periods. Academic stress was cited as the primary factor in four cases, while one death was linked to severe personal trauma.
In response to the panel’s recommendations, BITS Goa reportedly introduced measures including expanded counseling services, access to professional psychologists, a 24×7 helpline, faculty-student engagement sessions, streamlined academic content, and weekly psychiatrist consultations. The institute has not issued a fresh statement on the latest incident.
Meanwhile, the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has called for a judicial inquiry into student deaths on the campus since December 2024, alleging systemic failures in student safety and mental-health governance.
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