BERHAMPUR: Uneasy prevailed at Betaguda in Gajapati’s Paralakhemundi on Monday after a Class IX girl student was found hanging under mysterious circumstances in the hostel of the local Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV).
The deceased student was identified as Soudamini Raita (14). The student’s father David Raita lodged a complaint with Paralakhemundi police alleging that his daughter was murdered. In his FIR, David stated that in the morning, JNV authorities asked him to come to Paralakhemundi hospital.
When he reached the hospital, he found his daughter dead. “I was told by the Vidyalaya authorities that my daughter committed suicide by hanging in her hostel room. But I could not find the usual marks of hanging on her neck,” he added.
Sources said like everyday, Soudamini went to bed after dinner on Sunday night. At around 5 am the next morning, her friends found her hanging in her room. She was rushed to the local hospital but doctors declared her brought dead.
School authorities claimed that Soudamini committed suicide as she was under immense pressure due to her exams. However, David refuted the claim and said his daughter was good in her studies. Paralakhemundi SDPO RK Pati said police registered a unnatural death case and sent the body for postmortem. The exact cause of the student’s death can be ascertained after the autopsy report arrives. Further investigation is underway.
(Suicide helplines -- Maithri, Cochin: +91 239 6272; Sumaitri, New Delhi: 2338 9090, Sneha, Chennai: 91-44-2464 0050, 91-44-2464 0060, Aasra, Mumbai: 9820466726, Fortis MentalHealth: 8376804102)