HYDERABAD: Mystery shrouds the death of a 16-year-old student staying in a Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS) hostel at Gowlidoddi under Gachibowli police station, with a note purportedly written by the minor, saying that he was taking his own life as he was abused sexually, while the family contests this version.
When the family staged a protest at the hostel, they were taken into preventive custody to diffuse the situation and were released later. The boy was pursuing his Intermediate second year and was found hanging from the ceiling in his hostel room.
Gachibowli Circle Inspector Suresh said: “We suspect sexual abuse to be the motive behind the boy’s suicide. The suicide note we found mentioned that he took the extreme step because he was being abused sexually. However, he did not mention by whom.”
However, the boy’s father said: “While mobile phones are not allowed inside residential schools, they arrange phones on a certain day for the students to contact their parents. His last call was on February 14 and he was perfectly normal when he spoke to us. When we asked him why he had not called for some days, he said he was busy with classes and studies. Everything seemed normal until we received the shocking news from the hostel management today.”
He said that since the minor was talking normally, there was no need for him to take such an extreme step. “When we posed this question to the hostel management, they called the police and we were put behind bars,” the boy’s father said.
However, Circle Inspector Suresh said, “The hostel management delayed informing the family as they realised that tragedy had struck only after they broke down the door of the room.” The officer said that the students start their day at 4 am.
“When they noticed that the door was locked from inside, they assumed someone might be oversleeping. They tried to wake up the person inside by knocking on the door and when there was no response, they were forced to break open the door. They shifted him to Osmania Hospital but he was declared brought dead,” Suresh said. The case is being investigated by the Gachibowli police.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call AASRA's 24x7 Helpline: +91-9820466726 for assistance.)