Chennai: On Wednesday evening the ‪‪Indian Institute of Technology Madras‬, ‪Chennai‬, ‪Indian Institutes of Technology‬‬ campus was shaken by the news of two suicides within a span of an hour, in unrelated incidents. The first one was an assistant professor’s wife. the second a post-doctoral research scholar. Both were found hanging from the ceiling.

Police said physics assistant professor Ganeshan’s wife Vijayalakshmi, 47, was found hanging inside her quarters around 3pm. An hour later, P Maheshwari, 34, a post-doctoral research scholar was found dead hanging in Sabarmathi hostel. The couple had two children. After making inquiries, police said the assistant professor’s wife was worried about the health condition of her elder son. “We are told that she had attempted suicide earlier,” a polcieman said. The incident came to light when her husband came home in the evening.

Maheswari’s friends, after searching for her for a while, peeped into the hostel room and found her hanging from the ceiling. IIT officials informed the Kotturpuram police who reached the hostel and lowered the body. Police said there was no suicide note, and the reason was not known immediately. Police, after conducting inquiries with her friends, said she was upset that her husband Pandiarajan was not visiting her in the hostel. “Her friends said she appeared to be depressed and lonely,” a policeman said.

Both the bodies have been sent for postmortem at Government Royapettah Hospital. Kotturpuram police have registered cases under CrPc 174 (unnatural death) and are investigating.