VASCO
Verna police have recorded the statements of parents in connection with the death of 20-year-old student Rishi Nair in his hostel room at the BITS Pilani Goa campus on Thursday morning.
A police source informed that the autopsy has been completed at the South Goa District Hospital, but the final opinion on the cause of death has been reserved.
“The cause of death has been reserved, pending reports of tissues preserved for histopathological examination, viscera for chemical analysis, and blood for microbiological culture. However, there are signs of aspiration pneumonitis and severe gastritis. No foul play has been detected as of now,” the source said.
A case of unnatural death under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered and the body was later handed over to the family members for final rites.
It may be recalled that Nair, a second-year MSc Physics student, was found dead in his hostel room on Thursday morning.
According to sources the student was not an original student of BITS Pilani Goa campus and had arrived based on a transfer request from the BITS Pilani Hyderabad campus.
He may have been facing some issues pertaining to depression and his parents had requested for a transfer of college from BITS Pilani Hyderabad to BITS Pilani Goa campus.
The incident has drawn widespread concern as it marks the fifth student death reported on the BITS Pilani Goa campus in less than a year.
In December 2024, second-year BE Computer Science and MSc Chemistry student, Om Priyan Singh, died by suicide. Just three months later, in March 2025, Atharv Desai, a third-year dual-degree student, also ended his life.
