A 24-year-old third-year PhD scholar, Anamitra Roy, from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Kalyani, West Bengal, died on Friday, August 8, 2025, at AIIMS-Kalyani, hours after collapsing on campus. The incident, initially attributed to sudden heart failure by Roy’s family, has taken a darker turn following allegations of ragging and institutional neglect, prompting a police investigation.
Roy, a biology PhD student from Shyamnagar, North 24 Parganas, was found unconscious in a laboratory at IISER-Kalyani on Thursday evening. He was rushed to AIIMS-Kalyani in critical condition but succumbed early Friday. While Roy’s family was informed of sudden heart failure as the cause, a social media post by Roy hours before his death alleged persistent harassment by a fellow PhD student, Sourabh Biswas, and inaction by his supervisor, Professor Anindita Bhadra, and the institute’s anti-ragging cell. Roy’s post detailed an April 12, 2025, incident where Biswas allegedly verbally abused him in the lab, claiming multiple complaints to authorities were ignored.
In his chilling social media note, Roy wrote, “I was never made for this world… I can’t do this anymore. I give up. May I find the peace in death that I never found in life.” He revealed battling depression since age 14, a recent autism diagnosis, and a history of physical and mental abuse from childhood. Roy accused Biswas of “scientific misconduct” and claimed his supervisor praised Biswas despite his complaints, exacerbating his distress. He urged the administration to deny Biswas a PhD and enforce anti-ragging measures.
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The Ranaghat Police, led by Superintendent Aashish Maurya, have registered an unnatural death case and are awaiting the post-mortem report to confirm whether Roy consumed a poisonous substance, as suspected. “We are investigating the ragging allegations and have contacted Roy’s family and IISER authorities, but no formal complaint has been filed yet,” Maurya stated. IISER-Kalyani issued a statement expressing grief, describing Roy as a “dynamic student” and pledging to review internal systems to prevent such tragedies. The institute refrained from addressing the ragging claims directly.
Roy’s batchmates reported a recent argument with his lab guide, fueling speculation of workplace pressure. Posts on X reflect outrage, with users like @Bongojira noting Roy’s prominence in the Bengali Marvel community and @ttindia highlighting the bullying allegations tied to his autism. The incident has reignited concerns about mental health support and anti-ragging enforcement in Indian academic institutions, with parallels drawn to a 2022 IISER-Kolkata case where a student, Subhadip Roy, died by suicide, blaming a professor.
This tragedy underscores the urgent need for robust mental health resources and stricter anti-ragging measures in academic settings. Roy’s death, the second reported suicide at IISER-Kolkata since 2020, has sparked calls for systemic reform to protect vulnerable students.
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