My son was a very intelligent boy, and I had high hopes for his bright future, but all that has come to an end with his death,” said inconsolable Sanjay Nerkar, father of 23-year-old Varad, who was found dead in an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi hostel room on Thursday night. Expressing his grief, Nerkar asserted that he would delve deep into what drove him to take such a drastic step. “He was a very smart and cheerful person,” he said.

Varad—who hailed from Hanuman Wadi in Nashik—had been pursuing M-Tech in Polymer Science & Technology since July 2022. Recalling the events leading to his son’s tragic demise, Nerkar said, “It is unbelievable that my son took his own life. We spoke to him around 8.30 am. He usually talks to us before having breakfast. After breakfast, he went to his lab. Around 11-11.15 am, he called his mother and mentioned that he was working on a task in the lab but was unable to get results. He had been under a lot of stress for the past one-and-a-half months due to this task.” Nerkar added that Varad also mentioned that his guide scolded him on Wednesday about something and he told his mother that it was becoming frustrating for him. “My wife pacified him and told him to try again before ending the call.”