Imphal, Jun 26 : An MBBS student
from Mizoram, Benjamin Laithlamuana, was found hanging in his hostel
room on the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) premises here
this afternoon.
The RIMS authorities do not suspect any foul play, as there were reports of the student suffering from depression.
The sixth semester student’s hostel mates
found him hanging by a cloth from the ceiling fan in his room in the
boys’ hostel at 1pm today.
“Some hotel mates found him hanging from
the ceiling fan when they entered his room to check on him. They
reported the matter to the institute authorities,” Iboyaima Laithangbam,
RIMS media adviser, said. The students found the door closed but not
bolted from inside.
Laithlamuana was staying in a single room,
as the hostel is a single-room accommodation. There was no suicide
note, though the RIMS authorities believe it was a case of suicide.
His friends did not see him this morning
at breakfast and during lunch in the hostel mess. Some of his friends
then went to his room to find what was wrong with him, sources said.
If it is a case of suicide this will be the first time that a student of the RIMS, a central institute, did so on the campus.
Lamphel police station registered a case and the body is being kept at the mortuary of the institute for post-mortem.
The possible motive given by officials of
the institute was depression. Sources said the student did not perform
well in the fifth semester examination.
“It is a shocking incident. We have informed the student’s relatives,” medical superintendent M. Amuba said.
Though no foul play was suspected, the
RIMS authorities said an internal probe would be conducted to find out
how the incident took place. This will be in addition to the police
investigation.
The teaching and non-teaching staff and
students of the institute held a joined condolence meeting later in the
day in the examination hall. They observed a two-minute silence.
Institute director S. Sekharjit sent a condolence message to the family
of the student.
The body would be flown to his home state
tomorrow. Some of his friends would accompany the body to his home as
the family informed the RIMS authorities that they would not be coming
to take the body.