The Udaipur Police Saturday lodged an FIR following the death of a final year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) student who died by suicide following alleged harassment by the college officials.
The suicide has led to protests on campus, with students demanding action in the case.
Shweta Singh, a native of Jammu and Kashmir, was found hanging in her hostel room at about 11 pm Thursday, officials said. In a suicide note left behind, she has alleged “torture” for two years by two staff members. The two have since been expelled by the Pacific Dental College and Hospital.
Udaipur’s Sukher police station officials said that the FIR was lodged for abetment to suicide on Saturday following the arrival of the girl’s family members. The body was handed over to the family after a post-mortem, they said.
Her relative Shashikant said that, “in her suicide note, she has levelled serious allegations against the college and on two particular individuals, that they had mentally harassed her because of which she was so troubled that she had to take this step. We have lodged a complaint and right now all we want is for them to be arrested”.
The student was troubled at being allegedly held by the college on various pretexts and at being humiliated. Students alleged that her batchmates had become interns, yet her first “internal (examination)” of the final year was still being taken with the juniors “forcefully.”
According to them, she had accused the college administration of lying to her for about a year and a half that they will take her examination but were always putting it off, while claiming that some students “who don’t even come to college” are passed without examinations.
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“In her suicide note, she has said that they (administration) were demanding money else she will be failed and they kept her behind by a year and a half,” said a student studying at the college. Another student said: “The administration harasses everyone and everyone has the same mental health. But some of us can’t bear it”.
She was also allegedly relegated to the “odd batch” – reportedly a category for students who either miss exams or fall short of the 75 percent attendance requirement. Meanwhile, students also protested outside the District Collectorate Saturday demanding action against the accused.
Rahul Agarwal, Chairperson of the Pacific Group, said, “The management and all the students are saddened by the suicide. I have heard from the students about the problems faced by them and assured them about resolving them in the next 2-3 days.”
A senior college official, requesting anonymity, claimed that the girl did not appear for her final year exams last year and was currently giving internal exams. “What happened is very sad and unfortunate. We have expelled both the persons named by the student. We are continuously monitoring the students and also holding discussions with them,” the official said.
