KAMAREDDY: Senior officials from the Telangana State Social Welfare Girls Residential School Society have instructed the principal of the social welfare girls school in Pedda Ekalara village of Madnoor Mandal in Kamareddy district to provide a comprehensive report regarding the suicide of D Vasudha, a first-year intermediate student, which occurred at the school’s hostel on Tuesday. Additionally, they have requested the staff to share their accounts related to the incident.
The school’s vice principal, S Francis, who has over 30 years of experience, said this was the first time he had encountered such an incident. According to Francis, Vasudha had completed her education up to Class 10 in Telugu Medium. She joined intermediate first-year and commenced her studies at the school on August 29. Subsequently, she took a break and returned home. After the Dasara holidays, she arrived at the school on Tuesday at 6.30 pm accompanied by her mother.
Upon their arrival, it was noticed by the staff that Vasudha was reluctant to stay at the school. An argument ensued between Vasudha and her mother. Eventually, her mother left the school premises. Shortly afterward, Vasudha left for the dormitory and later attended the evening study hours from 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm. The next morning, she participated in a physical exercise class, completed her morning routine, and attended the prayer session. Subsequently, she complained of a headache and returned to the hostel. At this time, the dormitory was open for cleaning purposes.
Vasudha is then thought to have gone into the dormitory, locked the doors from inside, and taken her own life. Francis opined that Vasudha was reluctant to continue her studies in an English medium school. He said that normally, Telugu medium students are assured that they need not worry about their studies as the syllabus can be easily understood. Many of Vasudha’s classmates also completed their education up to Class 10 in Telugu medium and did not display apprehension about their studies. A relative of Vasudha, working as a faculty member at the school, noticed her reluctance to continue her studies at the current school.
Acknowledging the impact of the disrupted academic years due to Covid-19 restrictions, Francis noted that fear was prevalent among students due to this situation. He mentioned that higher authorities have initiated a departmental inquiry and are taking measures to prevent such incidents in the future. However, Vasudha’s parents have alleged that the school staff is accountable for their daughter’s demise. Banswada Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jagannath Reddy said that they are awaiting the postmortem report for further details.