Body of Odisha researcher found in IIT Kanpur hostel room; mystery shrouds death

Dr Pallavi Chilka, 35, was found hanging by the fan at her room in IIT Kanpur. The body was found in a suspicious condition in her hostel room. Police have initiated an investigation into the matter to discover the cause of her death.

Kanpur: The body of a researcher of IIT Kanpur, Dr Pallavi Chilka, 35, was found hanging by the fan in her room on Tuesday. The body was found hanging in a suspicious condition at the hostel. As per reports, the cleaning staff knocked on her room door and upon receiving no response, the staff glanced inside the room window to discover her body hanging. The Klayanpur police were summoned after the discovery by the IIT authorities.

According to the police, Dr. Pallav Chilkai, a resident of Cuttack in Odisha was a research staff member. She was pursuing her postdoctoral research from the Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering at IIT Kanpur. Dr. Pallavi joined IIT Kanpur in August 2023 and resided at the hostel.

The cleaner arrived on Tuesday morning to clean Dr. Pallavi's room. The police claimed the room was locked from the inside. After knocking on the door for a long period, one member of the police team peeped inside and was shocked to discover Dr Pallavi's body hanging. The sweeper immediately informed the IIT administration about this.

It is alleged that the IIT administration informed the police about the incident after a long time. According to ADCP West Akash Patel, the police immediately reached the spot as soon as the information was received. They broke the door open to discover the body hanging. With the assistance of the forensic team, they collected evidence from the spot and sent the body for post-mortem. The police have started investigating the matter seriously. At present, the police have not found any suicide note from the incident site.

The police have informed the family members about the incident. After the arrival of the family members, they will also be interrogated. The cause of the death is yet to be discovered.