KURNOOL: Caught between alleged sexual harassment by her senior students and pressure by parents to complete her studies, a 19-year-old B Tech student committed suicide by consuming hair dye at her hostel room in Nandyal of Kurnool district on Thursday. After struggling for life for more than 12 hours, she breathed her last during late on Thursday night. Her father lodged a complaint against the harassment by her seniors in the college, with the police on Friday.
V Usharani (19), a native of Tutapalli in Badwel mandal of Kadapa district, got admission into IT discipline of BTech at RGM Engineering College in Nandyal during this academic year. She is the younger sister of Badwel ZPTC Sirisha. Soon after she joined the college, the young girl was being commented on her looks and harassed allegedly by her senior students. As the harassment increased, she informed her parents and expressed her wish to quit studies. However, her parents convinced her to pursue the studies.
During last week, Usharani went home and complained to her parents about the increasing harassment from her seniors. She refused to go to college. But over the last a few days, the family members
convinced her and her father Jayaram Reddy brought her to Nandyal in their four-wheeler on Thursday morning. On their arrival, Jayaram Reddy promised to his daughter that he would stay at the college till evening if she was not convinced and also lodged a complaint with the college management stating his daughter was being ragged by her seniors.
However, Usharani left the college in the afternoon and returned to the college hostel where she reportedly had her lunch and also consumed a hair dye in an attempt to commit suicide. Later, she
insisted that her father take her back to home. After travelling for over 25 km from Nandyal, Usharani had severe vomiting and Jayaram Reddy reportedly grew suspicious and questioned his daughter who in turn confessed to have consumed hair dye to commit suicide.
Shock over it, Jayaram Reddy rushed his daughter to Kadapa and admitted her in a private hospital where she succumbed during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday after struggling for life for
over 12 hours since afternoon.
During their travel, Usharani reportedly informed her father that she was dejected over life due to the alleged harassment and abusive comments by her seniors.
Jayaram Reddy lodged a complaint with the Badwel police over the alleged ragging of his daughter by her seniors at the college on Friday morning. The case was transferred to the Panyam police who sent the body for postmortem and took up the investigation.