KHAMMAM: Tension prevailed around the Nalanda Junior College in Laxmidevipalli after a 17-year-old Scheduled Caste (SC) student died by suicide in Kothagudem on Sunday. The victim’s parents alleged that harassment by the college management forced the teenager to take his own life. Along with their relatives, SC associations and others, they staged a protest outside the college demanding action against the management.
According to police, the victim, Ram Pawar, a second-year Intermediate student, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his grandparents’ house in Vidyanagar Colony.
Ram’s father, Sanaga Laxman, said his son had joined the college at the request of the management. Despite Ram’s stellar academic record — scoring 10/10 in Class 10 and excelling in his first-year Intermediate exams as the topper in Vidyanagar — the college pressured him relentlessly, he added.
Laxman claimed that Ram’s absences due to ill health, even when informed in advance, were met with harassment.
‘Casteist behaviour’
Laxman said he used to escort his son to and from the college every day, but the management treated him disrespectfully because he is a Dalit. “They never allowed me to sit during visits, while other parents were treated courteously,” he alleged.
Circle Inspector Royala Venkateswarlu said a case was registered under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and that the investigation was underway.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)