28-Year-Old IIT Kanpur Technician Hangs Self To Death After 'Argument' With Fiance

Last Updated:February 14, 2026, 18:56 IST

A diary recovered from the victim's room had an entry that indicated she was hurt after being scolded during the phone call.

In a shocking incident, a 28-year-old junior technician at the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (IIT-K) was found dead on Saturday. As per the police, she allegedly hanged herself to death inside the campus accommodation after an argument with her fiancé.

As per a report by PTI, the woman took the extreme step allegedly after disconnecting a call with her fiancé.

The deceased has been identified as Anju Kumari, originally from Jadugoda, Jharkhand, and had been living at the institute for the past three years.

According to the police, Anju was having a phone conversation with her fiancé, Pankaj, when an argument ensued. During the heated discussion, she allegedly threatened to end her life before abruptly disconnecting the call.

After the call, Pankaj immediately reached out to a friend residing on the campus and requested him to check on her. The friend was unavailable at the time, so his brother rushed to Anju’s residence but found the door locked from the inside. After repeated attempts to get a response failed, the hostel warden and police were informed. The door was then forced open, revealing Anju hanging from a ceiling fan.

She was rushed to the campus hospital, where doctors declared her dead, the police said.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Kapil Deo Singh told PTI that a 350-page personal diary was recovered from her room, containing detailed personal entries. A recent entry indicated that she was deeply hurt after being scolded during the phone call.

One entry, written shortly before her death, reportedly mentions that she was deeply hurt after being scolded during a phone conversation, he said.

Anju’s marriage to Pankaj, an employee in the power department in Odisha, had been arranged, and the couple was soon to be engaged. The investigation also revealed that Anju’s brother had died by suicide about a year ago, and she had struggled with depression since then.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) SM Qasim Abidi was quoted by PTI as saying, “Prima facie, mental stress linked to personal and family circumstances appears to be a factor. However, a detailed investigation is underway." The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and her family members are on their way to Kanpur, the police added.

Abidi further added that the police are examining all angles, including call records and the contents of the diary, to establish the sequence of events leading to the death.

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