Sathyabama University Student Suicide: Family Blames Management, College Shut for 7 Days

Chennai: A day after a first-year student of Chennai's Sathyabama Deemed University allegedly committed suicide and protests broke out in the campus, the girl's family demanded strict action against the management.

The college has been shut for seven days because of the students' protests. They alleged that Ragamonika was humiliated by a professor and sent out of the examination hall for copying in the first semester exam. The girl, then, allegedly took her life in her hostel room.

The 18-year-old's father said the management did not even inform the family about the death. “My son, who also studies in the same university, called and informed me about the incident. Despite many attempts to speak to the college authorities, there is no word from the Dean,” he said.

A friend of the victim's brother said that Ragamonika was a very sensitive girl and should have been sent to the counsellor.

"Instead, she was taken to the administration office and told that she is debarred from writing the remaining exams. After this, she cut her veins and sent a video to her brother. Then she hanged herself from the ceiling. When her brother saw the video, rushed to save her but it was too late."

Her last message to her brother was: "I love you and I will miss you."

Srinivasan Reddy, a relative, said, "The college claims malpractice by Ragamonika. They took the ID card and asked her to leave the exam hall. We don't know what happened to her after she left the hall. She always sends messages to her parents but on Wednesday, she didn’t message them. She would have told them if she was caught copying. The only message she sent was to her brother."

He said alleged that when the girl's brother went to the hostel, he was stopped by security guards. "After sometime, he was allowed to enter and Ragamonika was found hanging from the ceiling."