Mumbai:  A chemical engineering student at IIT, Powai, here allegedly committed suicide, police said today.  

Jitesh Sharma (21), who hails from Haryana, was found dead on the terrace of the institute's hostel last evening by his friends. The suburban Powai police was subsequently informed.  

Police reached the spot and sent the body for postmortem this morning.

A suicide note purportedly written by the student was found near the student's body which indicates that he was depressed, they said.

"Prima facie, the student is suspected to have consumed some poisonous substance, but it can only be ascertained after we get the medical reports," an officer at Powai police station, who is investigating the matter, said.  

An accidental death report (ADR) has been registered and further investigation is on into the matter, he said.  

"Today being a holiday, we are unable to contact his friends and faculty heads. But as soon as the classes resume, we would try to get details about his academic and social performance," he said.

"He has written a suicide note in Hindi and English that shows he was under depression," the investigating officer said, adding that the student was apparently unhappy with the choice of his academic course.

The suicide note purportedly reads: "I should not have been into this field. I did a mistake by passing JE exam. I have learnt to be away from my parents." The student's father has been informed about the incident, the officer said.

Jitesh was apparently not doing well in studies and was yet to clear a few subjects of previous semesters, he said as per information gathered from his friends.