VIJAYAWADA: The Pedakakani police on Thursday arrested three architecture students of Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU) for allegedly abetting the suicide of first year B. Arch student M Rushikeswari, who hanged herself to death in her hostel room on the university premises on Tuesday.
In her suicide note, Rushikeswari complained that second year students Jaicharan, Srinivas and Hanisha (her roommate) had been harassing her and she was unable to concentrate on studies. The police booked cases against the three accused under Section 306 (Abetment of Suicide) of IPC and under Anti-Ragging Act.
Following Rushikeswari’s death, the university administration suspected Hanisha, from both hostel and college, and ordered an internal probe into the incident. A fact-finding committee with senior faculty members had been tasked with inquiring into incident and come out with suggestions to prevent such things from happening in future. The committee was asked to submit the report in 15 days, based on which necessary action will be initiated.
According to sources, the accused used to pester Rushikeswari and Hanisha reportedly kept forcing her to talk to Jaicharan and Srinivas. Unable to bear pressure, the girl lodged a complaint with the hostel authorities seeking change of room.
She also informed her father M Muralikrishna, a marketing executive with a private firm in Warangal, about 10 days before the incident. He rushed to the varsity and lodged a complaint with the college principal, who urged him against approaching the police and assured to initiate necessary action against the accused.
“If only I lodged a complaint with the police, my girl would have been alive today,” rued Muralikrishna, while collecting the body of his daughter from mortuary in Government General Hospital here Wednesday.
Sources further stated that the accused on Sunday coerced Rushikeswari into watching a film in a theatre where they reportedly misbehaved with her. The girl left the cinema midway and was deeply disturbed since then. She took the extreme step on Tuesday.
Rushikeswari’s parents lamented that they were not informed about the follow-up action taken on their complaint, but were contacted by the university officials only after their daughter committed suicide.
Meanwhile, student organisations, which had been demanding stringent action against the accused, claimed that it was not an isolated case of ragging and harassment. They faulted the university authorities for their inaction in several complaints filed in the recent times.