BITS Pilani Goa student found dead in hostel room; fifth death in 10 months

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ET OnlineLast Updated: Sep 05, 2025, 08:29:00 AM IST

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On Thursday morning, when Rishi did not respond to their calls, his parents rushed to the hostel along with the staff and found him dead in his room, police said. Verna police inspector Anand Shirodkar confirmed that Rishi had been on anti-depressant pills. “We found vomit in Rishi’s room,” he said, adding that the police were awaiting the postmortem examination report to ascertain whether he had died by suicide or due to overconsumption of the tablets.

A 19-year-old student of BITS Pilani, Goa campus, Rishi Nair from Bengaluru, was found dead in his hostel room on Thursday. This is the fifth student death on the campus in 10 months and the second within a month.

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Police said Rishi had slipped into depression after his girlfriend died by suicide two and a half months ago in Hyderabad. Following the incident, his parents shifted him to the Goa campus and also moved to Goa to be with him.

On Thursday morning, when Rishi did not respond to their calls, his parents rushed to the hostel along with the staff and found him dead in his room, police said, according to a report by ToI.

Verna police inspector Anand Shirodkar confirmed that Rishi had been on anti-depressant pills. “We found vomit in Rishi’s room,” he said, adding that the police were awaiting the postmortem examination report to ascertain whether he had died by suicide or due to overconsumption of the tablets.

“We have come to understand that his girlfriend had died by suicide in Hyderabad some two and half months ago. This led him to go under severe depression, impacting his studies,” Shirodkar said.

BITS Pilani's statement

In a statement issued late Thursday evening, BITS Pilani Goa campus PRO Arjun Halarnkar said, “Rishi was courageously managing a personal health challenge and was undergoing clinical treatment of late. His parents moved to Goa to support him in his academic pursuit for one semester. Recently, he was transferred from our Hyderabad campus for one semester. We are fully cooperating with the police investigation to ascertain the cause of death.”

Halarnkar also acknowledged the impact of the loss on the campus community.

“The loss of a young life is an unimaginable tragedy, deeply grieving our entire community. Our thoughts and prayers are with Rishi’s family, friends, and all affected. We encourage everyone to seek support from campus counselling services to deal with difficult circumstances,” he said.