A student at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras died by suicide in his room, the third suicide at the institute this year.

The student was a 32-year-old from West Bengal and was pursuing his PhD at IIT, police said today.

Police say that hours before he was found hanging in his room, the student had posted a WhatsApp status saying "Sorry, I am not good enough".

"Seeing the status, his friends reached his home and found Sachin hanging in his room. An ambulance was called and he was pronounced dead on examination," police said.

In its statement, IIT Madras said that the research scholar was an exemplary academic record.

"We are deeply anguished to convey the untimely passing away of a PhD Research scholar from the Mechanical Engineering Department on the afternoon of 31st March 2023 at his residence at Velachery, Chennai. A student with an exemplary academic and research record is a big loss to the research community," the IIT said.

"The Institute expresses its heartfelt condolences and shares the grief of the friends and family of the deceased student. The Institute requests everyone respect the privacy of the student's family at this difficult juncture. May the departed soul rest in peace", it added.

Earlier this year, a third-year BTech student and a research scholar died by suicide at the IIT campus in Chennai.