LUCKNOW: A student of Aligarh Muslim University died by suicide during a video call with her father who lives in Saudi Arabia.
The 20-year-old Inshah Fatima was a final-year Diploma in Computer Science student. She was a resident of the Baj Bahadur area of Azamgarh district and lived in a hostel room.
According to police and university sources, Inshah first informed her brother in Azamgarh about her decision to end her life. Subsequently, she was on a video call with her father in Saudi Arabia around 7.15 pm on Monday when she allegedly began tying a noose to the ceiling fan.
Helpless and shocked by what was unfolding, her father pleaded with her not to resort to any extreme step. She did not respond to his requests and kept the camera on.
Realising the gravity of the situation, her father immediately contacted one of his acquaintances working at AMU asking him to rush to the hostel to save his daughter. He continued speaking to her over the phone until the help arrived.
The AMU staff reached the hostel within 10 minutes and alerted the hostel administration and the university’s proctorial team. The Civil Lines police were also informed, following which the room door was forcibly opened.
Inside, Inshah was found hanging from the ceiling fan. She was immediately taken by ambulance to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC), AMU. Doctors admitted her to the ICU and attempted resuscitation for nearly three hours, but she was declared dead at around 10.30 pm, hospital sources said.
As per the sources, the police authorities, later, sealed the hostel room and called in a forensic team to examine the spot.
No suicide note was recovered during the search. Senior university officials, including AMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Naima Khatoon, also reached the hostel and reviewed the situation.
As per the official sources, family of the victim was informed about her death. Inshah’s relatives have left Saudi Arabia for Aligarh, and the post-mortem examination would be conducted after their arrival. On the other, AMU Proctor Waseem Ali said the reason behind the student taking the extreme step was yet to be ascertained.
“We received information that a student had attempted suicide and was immediately taken to JN Medical College. Doctors made sustained efforts to save her, but she could not survive. The reason behind the incident is not clear at this stage, and the matter is under investigation," he said.
Police officials said they were examining the student’s call records, academic history, and personal circumstances, and were also questioning friends and classmates to ascertain what led to the extreme step.
Officials said the victim hadn’t gone home during the winter break and had stayed back on campus. While the university reopened on Monday, her room mate had not yet returned.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)