GUNTUR: After nine years of trial, Guntur District Court dismissed the case pertaining to the suicide of Acharya Nagarjuna University student Rishiteshwari, citing lack of evidence.
On July 21, 2015, 18-year-old Rishiteshwari’s body was found in her room at the Indira Priyadarshini hostel block in the University. In a suicide note, she had written that she was deeply disturbed as seniors had harassed her and spread rumours about her.
Subsequently, police had arrested three students—D Hanisha, D Jaicharan, and N Srinivas -- and the then principal of ANU College of Architecture and Planning G Babu Rao under IPC Section 306 and Section 4 of Prevention of Ragging Act for allegedly abetting her suicide.
The incident had triggered massive protests in the two Telugu States with Rishiteshwari’s family and various student unions demanding stern action against the accused.
Expressing dismay over the court’s decision, the girl’s parents rued that after fighting for over nine years, they expected to get justice for their daughter.
Her father Murali Krishna lamented that the incidents that forced Rishitheshwari to commit suicide were mentioned in detail in her diary, which was not taken into consideration. “Over 170 eyewitnesses were present and the forensic report also confirmed that the diary belonged to her,” he pointed out.
Further, he said, “We neither have the energy nor the resources to continue this legal fight. We urge Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan for support in the issue.”
(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 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)