IIT-Madras student found hanging in room

Chennai: A 21-year-old IIT student was today found hanging in her room at the campus, police said. She was rushed to a government hospital, where she was declared brought dead. 

The first year M Tech student, a native of Kareem Nagar in Andhra Pradesh was found hanging in her room by a dupatta around 2.30 pm by a carpenter, who went there to fix a door, they said.

No suicide note was found in her room.

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Denied studies, girl kills herself

JAIPUR/BIKANER: An 18-year old academically promising girl jumped before a running train in Hanumangarh's Bhadara area on Friday morning, leaving a suicide note questioning conservative India's resistance to allowing girls the opportunity to higher education.

In her note, Puja Kumawat wrote she was dejected that she couldn't pursue her dream of clearing IIT and AIEEE despite securing 84% marks in the senior secondary examination because of discrimination in her family against girls pursuing higher education.

When TOI spoke to Puja's family members, they said that they could not send her to a big city to prepare for IIT because, once there, she would have to fend for herself. They said their insecurities surrounding their daughter in an alien place made them stonewall her pleas forhigher education in a place of her choice.

Puja had to enroll for a bachelor's degree from a private college near her home in Bhojasar village, which sent her into a depression.

"Her family members admitted her to Shyam College in Bhadara five days ago. She was a first year BSc student," said Mahendra Kumar, a lecturer at the college.

Police said Puja left her house for the college around 7.30am, where she approached her lecturers requesting leave saying her grandfather was unwell and she needed to see him.

"She reached Bhadara junction, some 2km from the college, and jumped before a train around 10am. A police team was rushed to the spot where it recovered a few books and a handwritten note explaining why she was killing herself," said Bhadara police station in-charge Bhagala Ram.

The note states, "Hamesha ladkon ko hi opportunity kyo milti hai? Mai ladki hu isliye mujhe mauka nahi mila? Zindagi ke sapne purey na ho toh, zindagi ka kya fayda? B.Sc meri majboori hai. Bad luck. Apni marzi se jaan de rahi hu (why do only boys get all the opportunities? I am a girl, so I did not get the opportunity. When dreams are unfulfilled, there's no point to life. BSc is my compulsion. I am taking my life of my will)."

Her father Prithvi Singh Kumawat, who is a milk supplier, wept saying, "Puja was a very bright student. She kept saying she wanted to pursue IIT. We could not send her to a big city as you know the circumstances there. A girl living alone in a big city is dangerous."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Denied-studies-girl-kills-herself/articleshow/15346098.cms

IIT-M student commits suicide in hostel dorm

CHENNAI: Academic excellence brought 21-year-old S Merugu Manasa to IIT-Madras, where personal problems hounded her to death. Less than three weeks after attending class at the institute in Adyar, the first year MTech chemical engineering student committed suicideby hanging from the ceiling fan in her hostel dormitory on Tuesday. 

"Merugu returned to the hostel at 7.30am after spending three days with her family (in Karimnagar). She was crying when I saw her in the dormitory, and did not go to the class with her hostel mates," said a maid at the hostel. Eight students stayed together in the dormitory. 

Some students said when they invited her for lunch at the hostel mess, she told them to go ahead and that she would join them later. They did not see her alive after that. "She was a fun-loving girl, and not someone who seemed depressed or unhappy," said a student. 

Police sources said that one of her roommates returned in the evening to find the door locked from inside. When Merugu did not open the door for a long time, the student informed the hostel warden and the security officials broke open the door. They found her hanging. 

Dean of students L S Ganesh said, "Classes have just begun, so we don't think it was academic pressure that made her take this step." A week after joining IIT-M, she had told her classmates that she had married Srinivasa Minisala, a software engineer at Infosys in Hyderabad, when she was in her final year at Jawaharlal Nehru Technical University, Andhra Pradesh. 

Police said Merugu's relatives did not seem to know about the marriage. "We called her uncle and informed him about her death. He was surprised to know she was married," the official said.

The girl's father, Rajesh Shiyan, and her husband were informed of her death. The Kotturpuram police said Merugu died around 2.30 pm, and that the institute informed them around two hours later. 

The body was sent to Government Royapettah Hospital for autopsy. Police said they did not find a suicide note, and they could find no clues in her laptop as it was password protected. 

Sivakumar M Srinivasan, head of the institute's guidance and counselling unit, said her hostel mates at Sarayu C2-3 hostel were given professional counselling for at least 15 minutes each. "They have been moved to Sharavati hostel and won't be coming back because they might get upset when they see the place," he added. 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/IIT-M-student-commits-suicide-in-hostel-dorm/articleshow/15595034.cms

Slipping at IIT, student ends life

HYDERABAD: An IIT-Kanpur student, who was terminated by his college for poor performance in academics, committed suicide by consuming poison after his parents came to know about his dismissal. The student ended his life at a deserted place in Hayathnagar's Abdulapurmet on Wednesday and police were able to establish his identity only on Thursday.

V Nehru, 20, a native of Marlinga thanda in Nalgonda district, was found dead at a deserted place in Abdulapurmet on Wednesday. Locals, who saw the body, informed police. Police identified Nehru's body based on an identity card on his person, Hayathnagar sub-inspector K Raghu Kumar told TOI.

"It was four months back that Nehru's admission was terminated by IIT Kanpur authorities after he failed to score prescribed marks in neither his first or second semester exams of first year engineering. After this development, Nehru returned to the city and was staying at a hostel in Kukatpally keeping his family in the dark about the development. They were under the impression that Nehru was in Kanpur," Kumar added. An IIT student is supposed to get a minimum of 4.5 on a 10-point scale to be considered for promotion to the next level (second year in Nehru's case).

During the four-month period, Nehru had been taking money from his parents and staying at the hostel in Kukatpally. However two days back, Nehru's father Ramana, a farmer, learnt that his son had been staying at Kukatpally and not in Kanpur.

"On Wednesday, Nehru called up his brother Venkat and informed him about his decision to commit suicide after learning that his parents had found out the truth. Nehru might have committed suicide by consuming poison," police added.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Slipping-at-IIT-student-ends-life/articleshow/15624416.cms

Yet another IITian falls to ‘academic pressure’

KANPUR: Suicide by V Nehru, a second year BTech student of IIT-Kanpur on Thursday at a deserted place in Abdulapurmet near Hayathnagar in Andhra Pradesh has left the students shocked. Nehru had consumed poison to end his life. 

The friends of V Nehru were sad when they learnt that their friend had ended his life. Those who knew Nehru well said that he was abrilliant boy with a sharp brain. He was an introvert and never used to open up much with others. 

The fellow students of V Nehru were unaware of the fact that he was reeling under depression. In May, when Nehru faced termination, his friends had asked him to make a mercy appeal so that he could be reinstated but he refused to do so. As a result, Nehru had to leave the IIT-Kanpur campus and he went back to his native place in Andhra Pradesh. But Nehru preferred keeping this fact hidden from his parents, thinking that this might hurt them. 

"We are shocked over the death of Nehru as it could never be thought that he would take such an extreme step and end his life. 

He should have applied for mercy appeal and got himself reinstated. Termination from academic course does not mean that there is no chance to spring back. It's sad that our friend is no more," said a friend of V Nehru, who is presently in the second year of BTech in electronics. 

Some of Nehru's friends had tears in their eyes, especially those who belonged to Andhra Pradesh and close to him."Here in IIT-Kanpur, we have a group of students hailing from Andhra Pradesh. This group consist of students from different courses, ranging from I year to final year. Nehru was also a part of the group. It's unbelievable that he is no more and that he was reeling under depression," said a senior of V Nehru, wishing not to be named. 

Even the IIT-Kanpur staffers were shocked to learn that the boy had committed suicide. 

"After reading today's newspaper we learnt V Nehru has committed suicide. Though I don't know who he was but any student who is a part of IIT system dies in this way, it is undoubtedly very painful," said a staffer. 

The authorities of IIT-K said that in case of facing termination, the students should apply for mercy appeal instead of undergoing depression. 

AK Ghosh, dean student affairs, said that like any other student who is terminated, V Nehru also had a chance to make mercy appeal for his reinstatement but he did not try. 

An IIT student is supposed to get a minimum of 4.5 on a 10-point scale to be considered for promotion to the next level (second year in Nehru's case). 

Several students of IIT-Kanpur have committed suicide in past while they were reeling under depression. It was due to academic pressure that the students took such an extreme step. Incidents of suicide one after the other had shaken the IIT-Kanpur administration. Parents of the student who commit suicide are the worst sufferers. So far, ten IIT-Kanpur students have ended their lives.The IIT-Kanpur administration claims to have a team of counsellors and psychiatrists to tackle the students reeling under depression. Counselling sessions are held from time to time to. Students are asked to come and share their problems. The students come under depression only when they are not able to perform well in academics, further leading to taking decisions like committing suicide. 

The institute authorities claimed that academic termination of a student from a course is a routine procedure conducted every semester. 

This procedure is being followed for last several years, giving terminated student a chance to get reinstated by applying for mercy appeal. The terminated student has to justify before the academic senate why he/she could not perform well and if the answer is satisfactory, he/she gets reinstated.




http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Yet-another-IITian-falls-to-academic-pressure/articleshow/15714583.cms

Class 9 student commits suicide by hanging himself in Delhi

New Delhi: A 14-year-old boy has allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at his home in Mehrauli in New Delhi.

Ankit Jhan, who was studying in Class 9 in Mother's International School, allegedly hung himself to death at 12:30 pm today.

The teenager's family was at home at the time of the incident, but did not realise that Ankit was taking the extreme step since the door to his room was shut.

The police have, however, not recovered a suicide note as yet. 

More details are awaited.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/class-9-student-commits-suicide-by-hanging-himself-in-delhi-259339?pfrom=home-otherstories