HYDERABAD: In a heart-wrenching incident, Ganta Aishwarya Reddy, a student of Lady Shri Ram College for Women in Delhi, ended her life at her home in Shadnagar on November 2 after she was forced to vacate the hostel due to the lockdown and her parents were unable to buy a laptop for her to attend online classes.
Her tragic end came to light belatedly when the students took up her case and began organising protests. On Monday too, the students protested at Shadnagar, demanding justice for her. The 19-year-old, who wanted to become an IAS officer, decided she was not lucky enough to pursue her dream and chose to end her life. A note written in Telugu recovered by the police after her suicide, read: “I am a burden and my education is also a burden on my family. I cannot live without studying.”
The girl, who was in her second year degree course, was initially following online classes on her mobile phone but as it was becoming difficult, she asked her father Srinivas Reddy, a bike mechanic, to buy her at least a second hand laptop. In September, she had also written to actor Sonu Sood explaining her situation and asking for help.
Aishwarya had been a topper even from the school days and joined the prestigious Lady Shri Ram College after being mentored by her lectures while she was in the Intermediate. Her parents said that when Aishwarya got admission to the college in 2019, they had mortgaged their house for `2 lakh and they are still repaying the loan. “She told me that the scholarship is also getting delayed and asked for a laptop. When I told her to wait for a few days, she did not ask again,” Srinivas said. Srinivas recounted how she was asked to vacate the college hostel as the accommodation is available only for first year students and other students have to make their own arrangements.
Rahul consoles Aishwarya’s family, Revanth pays visit
After she received a communication from the college, Aishwarya informed them that she would vacate on November 7. But she was worried as private accommodation would cost her over `10,000 per month.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi extended condolences to the family of Aishwarya Reddy. He tweeted in Telugu, that demonitisation and lockdown has destroyed countless houses. Malkajgiri Congress MP A Revanth Reddy visited her family. Former MLA SA Sampath Kumar handed over a `1 lakh cheque to Aishwarya’s parents. He also promised them to take care of the education of their younger daughter Vaishnavi, who had to drop out of school as they could not afford to finance the education for both daughters.