3rd in 5 months: BITS Goa student dies by suicide on campus

Vasco/Margao: A 20-year-old student of BITS Pilani’s Goa campus was found dead in his hostel room on Thursday morning, in the third suicide case at the institute in five months.
Krishna Kasera from Lucknow, a second-year student pursuing a dual degree in MSc chemistry and BE electrical and instrumentation, was discovered hanging from a window grill in his single-occupancy room on the institute’s Zuarinagar campus. The death came to light around 9am when Kasera failed to respond to calls and knocking on the door.
The campus doctor pronounced him dead at the scene. The Verna police station has registered a case of unnatural death, and the body has been sent to South Goa District Hospital, Margao, for a postmortem examination.
Kasera’s family members, who arrived in Goa, have refused to accept the body, alleging foul play and negligence by the college administration. “There appears to be no CCTV surveillance at the hostel. We requested CCTV footage, but the administration has not provided it,” said Kasera’s father. “This pattern of students ending their life before exams is concerning.”
In the first case, Om Priyan Singh, 21, a second-year BE computer science and MSc chemistry student from Uttar Pradesh, died by suicide in Dec 2024. Then in March 2025, Atharv Desai, 20, a third-year dual degree student, also ended his life in his hostel room.
According to Kasera’s mother, she last spoke to him two days ago, and he mentioned that he was feeling unwell. Subsequent attempts to contact him were unsuccessful, she said.
“It was only when we called the hostel warden to inquire about him on Thursday after all calls to him went unanswered did we get to know he was no more,” a family source said.
The family has threatened legal action if their concerns are not addressed by the institute.
The public relations officer of BITS Pilani’s Goa campus, Arjun Halarnkar, refuted all allegations, adding that BITS Pilani was conducting an internal inquiry into the matter.
He said a CCTV camera has been installed at the hostel entrance, and the work of installing more cameras inside the hostel — stalled following students’ privacy concerns — would be taken up soon.
“The institute is trying its best to ensure that students are safe and secure,” Halarnkar said. “Recently, a group of faculty members have undergone Young Mental Health First-Aiders certification programme.”
He added, “These faculty members reach out to students providing them a safe space to open up about themselves. The counselling centre on the campus offers sessions and access to a 24x7 helpline.”
On the series of suicides by students in the hostel blocks, Halarnkar said, “It is very hard to accept the deaths of students. It is an irreparable and permanent loss to their family members.”
As for the victims being dual degree students, he said, “This could be because of the stress or some family matters which made the students take such drastic steps.”
He, however, said no suicide note was found in the hostel blocks in all three cases. “All three students have died by suicide during examinations,” he said.