The Delhi Police suspect that Jawaharlal Nehru University student JR Philemon Chiru, who was found dead in his hostel room, succumbed to an accidental drug overdose, Hindustan Times reported on Thursday. Officials said an empty whisky bottle and 10 types of tablets were found in the 35-year-old PhD student's room. According to the English daily, students also told the police that he was a habitual drinker. The postmortem report is awaited, but the police have ruled out foul play.

An official said, “The whisky bottle was empty and the plastic glass disposable glass had fallen on the floor. There wasn’t any ransacking and the door was locked from inside,” the English daily reported. He added that the medicines recovered from Chiru's room have been sent for "expert medical opinion".

On October 25, some students noticed a foul smell coming from the student's room, and when they checked under his door, saw him lying face down, The Indian Express reported. Security officials later broke open the door. Chiru's body has been taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences for a post-mortem examination. An initial investigation by the police suggested there were no signs of injury on the body.

Officials said the PhD student had enrolled in JNU’s Centre for West Asian Studies one year ago and that the Delhi Police North East Cell was corresponding with his family, who live in Manipur’s Senapati district.