Sources said that Gaurav Sharma (26), a resident of Delhi, was pursuing his PhD in medicinal chemistry after completing his master’s degree in pharmacy from NIPER. He was enrolled as a research scholar some six months back, said NIPER officials.

On Monday night he had thrown a party at a city hotel in Phase 10 for some of his friends after a couple of his research papers got published.

Police officers said that Gaurav was bulky and asthmatic and might have died due to “abnormal consumption” of liquor.

Police said that during interrogation, Gaurav’s friends said he consumed a lot of liquor. Before leaving the place, Gaurav insisted on having some more drinks and bought half a bottle besides getting dinner packed for himself around 10.30 pm on Monday.

It is presumed that Gaurav had consumed both the bottles of vodka in his room and it was around 1.20 am on Tuesday that Gaurav banged into the door of another student’s room next to his.

On hearing the huge sound, all the students came out of their rooms and found Gaurav gasping on the floor. He was rushed to Silver Oaks Hospital in Phase IX, where the doctors declared him “dead on arrival”.

The local police recovered two empty bottles of vodka and cigarette packets from Gaurav’s room in the hostel. The room was examined by the police in the presence of Gaurav’s younger brother Saurav, his relatives, NIPER officials and hostel warden.

Ruling out the possibility of suicide or murder, the local police have initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC. Gaurav’s body was cremated by his family members here on Tuesday evening after his autopsy examination was conducted by doctors under videography at the Civil Hospital. The viscera have been sent for chemical examination to ascertain cause of death.

Unable to control herself Gaurav’s mother Prabha Sharma recalled that 20 years ago her husband too had died under similar circumstances.

“My husband after submitting his PhD thesis had thrown a party for his friends, after which he died. I didn’t know that Gaurav had been consuming liquor,” she said.