Patna: A 20-year-old nursing student was found hanging in his rented room in Katihar district late Saturday night. Police are probing the circumstances surrounding his death. A fellow student told police that he had not attended college for about two months and had been worried about his studies.The deceased was identified as Ankit Kumar Mandal, son of Omprakash Mandal and a resident of Sikti block in Araria district. Since Feb 2026, he had been staying at the house of Kalicharan Mandal in Bengali Colony under Sahayak police station area. He was studying at a private nursing college near Katihar Medical College.According to police, Ankit’s friend and fellow student Ajay Kumar Mandal went to his room around 11.30pm on Saturday to call him for dinner. When repeated knocks went unanswered, Ajay alerted the land owner. A Dial 112 police team reached the spot and broke open the door. Ankit was found hanging inside the room.Land owner Purnima Sarkar said, “Ankit had cooked and eaten his meal on the night of Oct 9, leaving the used utensils in the kitchen. He returned to his room on the morning of Oct 10 after staying out through the night.”She said she was sweeping the house when Ankit returned. He quietly went into his room and shut the door.Ajay told police that Ankit had not been attending college for around two months. He also claimed that Ankit had failed his first-semester examination and was worried about his studies. However, police have not officially confirmed academic stress as the reason behind the death.A team from Sahayak police station inspected the spot, while forensic science laboratory (FSL) personnel examined the room and collected evidence. The body was sent to Katihar Sadar Hospital for post-mortem.Sahayak police station SHO Kumar Vikash said, “The family has reached Katihar. We could not yet question them as they are in mourning. We will also visit the nursing college where he was studying to get some information on Monday. Further probe is on.”
