Kolkata, August 8, 2025 — The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kalyani has been shaken by the tragic death of research scholar Anamitra Roy, who died by suicide on Friday, leaving behind a deeply disturbing note alleging sustained abuse by peers and neglect from institutional authorities.
In his final Facebook post, Roy — a resident of Shyamnagar in North 24 Parganas — revealed that he was autistic and had faced “various forms of physical and mental abuse since childhood.” He recounted how he had contemplated ending his life as early as sixth standard, writing:
“I was never made for this world, it seems… But I can’t do this anymore. I give up. May I find the peace in death that I never found in life.”
Allegations of abuse at IISER
Roy claimed that during his time at IISER, he and several colleagues had been repeatedly mistreated by Sourabh Biswas, a PhD student from the same institute. Despite filing multiple complaints — including an official submission to the anti-ragging cell on April 12, 2025 — Roy alleged that no action was taken.
The suicide note also describes a breaking point when his PhD guide allegedly ignored the complaints and openly praised the accused student, despite what Roy described as “huge scientific misconduct” in his thesis.
Institutional inaction
Roy’s post paints a picture of an unresponsive and dismissive institutional environment. He stated that while one member of the student affairs council was supportive, another told him to consider the lab’s reputation before complaining. His supervisor, he claimed, was “of a similar opinion” and placed blame on his behaviour instead.
“I considered suicide a few days later but didn’t follow through due to coincidental circumstances. I sought therapy… and somehow kept myself alive till today.”
A life marked by early struggles
Roy also wrote about difficulties at home, saying he was mistreated by his parents and fell into depression at age 14. The mental health challenges deepened during his second year of college and, according to his own words, “never left” him.
This tragedy comes amid rising concerns about the mental health crisis in India’s higher education institutions, with multiple recent suicides reported from premier institutes like IIT Kharagpur and IISc.
Authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the incident, but Roy’s death is already sparking conversations on bullying, academic pressure, and institutional accountability in India’s research ecosystem.
The IISER Suicide Isn’t Just a Tragedy — It’s an Indictment of Our Academic Culture
Another young researcher is gone. Another suicide note circulates online. Another family is shattered. And once again, the corridors of one of India’s premier institutions echo with silence instead of answers.
The death of Anamitra Roy, a research scholar at IISER Kalyani, is not an isolated event. It is a symptom of a deeper sickness in our academic culture — a system that too often treats mental health as weakness, bullying as tradition, and institutional reputation as more valuable than human life.
When Complaints Fall on Deaf Ears
Roy’s note is clear: he was autistic, he faced sustained abuse from a fellow researcher, and he lodged multiple complaints — all ignored. The accused student, instead of being investigated, was allegedly praised by the very supervisor who should have ensured a safe and ethical work environment.
The most chilling part? A student affairs representative reportedly told him to “think about the lab’s reputation” before complaining. In other words: silence yourself for the sake of appearances.
This is not just neglect. This is institutional complicity.
The Normalization of Abuse in Academia
For decades, Indian academia has hidden behind its glittering reputation to mask its darker truths.
- Ragging is brushed off as “initiation.”
- Toxic supervisors are protected because they publish papers.
- Mental health crises are dismissed with “be stronger” or “everyone goes through this.”
The result? Students — especially those from marginalized or neurodiverse backgrounds — are left to navigate a minefield of egos, exploitation, and indifference.
The Human Cost of Silence
Roy’s death isn’t about one abusive PhD student or one unresponsive guide. It’s about a culture that consistently fails to protect the vulnerable. His own words tell us he sought therapy, he tried medication, he held on for years. But when every institutional door closed on him, he made the only choice he felt was left.
This is the cost of inaction: another obituary instead of a support plan, another public statement instead of systemic change.
What Needs to Change — Now
- Independent Oversight: Complaints must be handled by bodies with no academic or personal ties to the accused.
- Supervisor Accountability: Mentorship must be evaluated not just on publications but on ethics, empathy, and student well-being.
- Mental Health Infrastructure: Every campus needs full-time mental health professionals — not just a name on a notice board.
- Whistleblower Protection: Students who speak up must be protected from retaliation, not punished for damaging “reputation.”
Reputation Will Not Save Lives
Prestige does not protect institutions from moral decay — accountability does. And until academia starts valuing its students more than its rankings, we will keep writing these obituaries.
Anamitra Roy’s final words — “May I find the peace in death that I never found in life” — should haunt us all. Because if we cannot build campuses where students feel safe, respected, and heard, then our degrees, our rankings, and our awards are worth nothing.
This must never happen again. But it will — unless we stop protecting reputations and start protecting people.
