IIM Udaipur student found dead; Family claims murder, authorities call it suicide

A 23-year-old MBA Muslim student from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Udaipur was found dead on the campus on September 6.

Mohammed Farhat was found hanging from the ceiling of his hostel room located on the Baleecha campus, Maktoob Media reported.

Police have recovered his mobile phone and laptop, and a case has been registered. The IIM Udaipur administration described the incident as a suicide, and an official police case has been filed.

However, Farhat’s family are not convinced by the institute’s claims and suspects foul play, demanding an independent investigation.

According to his sister, Zoya Khan, her brother would call them every day.

“When I didn’t get his call on Sunday, September 7, I got worried and called him multiple times,” she said, adding, “Late that night, I received a call from Sameer (a fellow student) informing me that my brother was found dead on campus. We immediately took a flight and reached Udaipur the next morning.”

Upon arriving at the campus, the family was made to sign documents and waited several hours before being allowed into Farhat’s hostel room.

Zoya described the room as freshly sealed and smelling like the adhesive. A nylon rope tied to the fan was found, along with a wet towel and a cup with leftover tea on the study table. His belongings were neatly arranged. The fan was in good condition, undisturbed, she said.

“If you look at the height of the room, there is no way one can hang from that fan. My brother was a tall and grown-up man,” she was quoted by Maktoob Media.

Zoya said IIM Udaipur was slow in notifying the family, and several crucial details remain unclear. “We were not allowed to speak to his classmates or roommates. We strongly believe this is a case of murder. Our Farhat had no reason to take his own life,” she said and accused the institute of hiding the truth.

Meanwhile, taking cognisance of the case, the Rajasthan Human Rights Commission issued notices to the Rajasthan Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police, the Udaipur district administration, and IIM Udaipur, and requested a detailed report by October 7.

Mohammed Farhat was buried in his native village in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district.