A constable of Government Railway Police (GRP) found Durgesh Vikram sitting on the rail tracks minutes before Neelanchal Express was scheduled to pass. “Vikram was brought to the GRP station. He looked confused and said he was student of IIT-K student and had come to the station to commit suicide,” said GRP Inspector Bhagwan Das Maurya.

Vikram told the GRP personnel that he was under depression and feeling homesick. Sources at IIT-K said Vikram, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, happens to be brilliant in academics and completed his B Tech and M Tech from IIT-Roorkie and IIT-Kanpur, respectively, before enrolling for PhD.

Registrar of IIT-K, Sanjeev S Kashalkar, denied that Vikram’s suicide attempt was related to problems in getting job placement. “Vikram had turned down three big offers since he was interested in pursuing his studies. His farther is a prominent businessman of Muzaffarnagar,” Kashalkar said, adding that his parents had been informed.