3 min readMumbaiFeb 5, 2026 08:00 AM IST
Police probing the death of IIT Bombay student Naman Agarwal said that during questioning of his friends, they learnt that the 21-year-old had been seeking counselling on campus and appeared reclusive in the days leading up to the incident.
Agarwal, a second-year BTech (Civil Engineering) student, died after falling from a hostel building on the IIT Bombay campus early Wednesday. Police officials who recorded statements of students, including his roommate, said Agarwal had visited the hospital inside the IIT campus on February 2 and February 3 on consecutive days, where he met the professional he was consulting.
Police said Agarwal had written a one-page note in his diary, the contents of which are being examined as part of the inquiry. Police are likely to record the statement of the professional he was consulting on Thursday to gather more details, an official said.
Known as an academically bright and quiet young man, Agarwal had appeared withdrawn to some of his friends in the days before the incident.
A resident of Hostel 3, Agarwal had gone to the newly inaugurated Hostel 4, from where he is suspected to have fallen around 1.30 am on Wednesday. Students who were awake at the time rushed to the spot after hearing a loud sound, and institute security was alerted.
“When Naman fell from the 9th floor, the hostel was mostly awake as many students sleep late. Students heard a loud thud and rushed toward the source of noise and were shocked by what they saw. Security was immediately alerted as students started gathering at the spot,” said another student. On Wednesday night, IIT Bombay students held a condolence meet in his memory.
Police are also in possession of CCTV footage from a camera installed on the terrace, in which, an officer said, Agarwal is seen entering the terrace alone.
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The viscera have been preserved and will be sent to the Kalina Forensic Laboratory for chemical analysis, the official added.
Outside the Rajawadi Hospital mortuary, where the body was kept, relatives described Agarwal as a hardworking and gifted student. “He was able to get admission to top most IIT Bombay, that is proof enough to know how hard working and bright he has been. It is impossible to believe that he was undergoing any kind of counseling,” said Pawan Kumar Goyal, a relative who was in Mumbai to attend a wedding in the extended family.
“I cancelled that plan after receiving a call about Naman’s death, late night on Tuesday. His parents are out of town at this moment so they have been asked to come back to our native place in Rajgadh tahsil in Rajasthan where we will be taking Naman’s body,” Goyal said.
Agarwal’s father runs a food-grain business and he has two sisters. “One of the two sisters is a chartered accountant and the other is an engineering student (CAs). All three siblings have been academically bright,” Goyal said, adding that the family hoped for a conclusive investigation.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
