KADAPA: Tension ran high at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Kadapa on Friday morning after the family members and friends of an Inter student who allegedly committed suicide were stopped by police when they were taking her body to the district collectorate seeking justice.
The reason that pushed C Pavani, who was doing her first year Intermediate at Narayana Junior College here, to resort to the extreme step on Thursday night is yet to be ascertained. She was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her hostel room by her roommates, when they woke up at 4:30 am on Friday.
On being alerted, the hostel’s warden and other members of the college administration immediately shifted the body to RIMS Hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead. The girl’s relatives allege that someone from the college’s management rang up her parents and told them that Pavani had been admitted to RIMS Hospital before cutting the call abruptly. The couple rushed to the hospital only to be told that Pavani was no more. Holding the college management responsible for the death of their daughter and angered that they were not informed before Pavani’s body was moved from the hostel, the girl’s parents and relatives started for the district collectorate, but were stopped by the police at Shilparamam.
Finally, police officials including DSPs Sk Mausam Basha, B Srinivasulu and Vasudevan were able to convince the girl’s family to return to RIMS with the body and allow the post-mortem to be performed. The 16-year-old’s parents maintained that their daughter was brave and good at her studies. There was no reason for her to resort to suicide, they said. “The college management should take responsibility for the death. How can they shift the body without informing her parents or police. There must be something fishy,” said a relative. When Kadapa RDO S Chinna Rayudu met the parents at the hospital, they broke down and demanded action against the college.
Pavani was one of the two children of Malleswar Reddy who works with Friends Car Consultancy in Kadapa. The girl was a merit student and had secured 9.5 GPA in SSC. Reddy, who hails from Bhakarapet in Siddavatam mandal of Kadapa, had relocated the family to Kadapa town a few years back to provide good education to his children.The girl’s mother recalled that Pavani who came home for Dasara holidays was happy and showed no signs of being stressed. It was at 5 pm on Thursday that Shivamma spoke to her daughter for the last time.
When she tried to call her again later, her mobile phone was switched off. Meanwhile, Human Resource Development Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao said action wouldbe taken against those responsible irrespective of who owns the college and directed the district Joint Collector to inquire into the incident and submit a report.MLAs SB Amjad Basha and P Ravindranath Reddy visited Pavani’s parents at RIMS and consoled them. Later speaking to mediapersons, they pointed out that the incident was not the first case of suicide in Narayana College and demanded a detailed enquiry.