India: Hostel warden dies of shock after student dies by suicide

In a double tragedy reported from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, a hostel warden died of shock after an engineering student committed suicide in the hostel.

The 21-year-old, identified as Daharaneswara Reddy, was a student at Narayana Engineering College in Tirupati. He was allegedly found hanging in his hostel room on Saturday night.

His friends were the ones who informed the warden of the incident. The warden, Srinivasulu Naidu, suffered a heart attack the moment he heard the news. The 57-year-old man was rushed to a local hospital, but he could not be saved.

Meanwhile, the boy's parents have accused the management of the college stating that they had a role to play in his death.

According to a report in The Quint, the boy's family sat in protest in front of the college, demanding action against the authorities. The administration had to call in the police to bring the situation under control. The police have launched an investigation into the matter.

The incident comes two days after a 17-year-old girl student was found dead in her hostel room at Sir M Visvesvaraya Pre-University College in Karnataka. The victim's parents have accused the principal of sexually harassing her. They have called for an investigation into the matter.

In December last year, a 15-year-old boy allegedly committed suicide in his school in the Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh. The boy used to stay in the school's hostel and wrote a letter to the warden stating that he did not want to study in a group and wished to study alone.

Student suicides in India reached an all-time high in 2021, per the data provided by the country's National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Around 864 students out of 10,732 took their lives due to "failure in examination."

However, the largest cause of suicide amongst people under the age of 18 was "family problems." The rate of death by suicide among students has increased by 32.15 percent since 2017. The experts have called for government intervention to tackle the grave crisis.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts about suicide, the Samaritans provide a free support service for those who need to talk to someone in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Visit Samaritans.org or call 116 123 (UK) or 116 123 (ROI), 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Visit this website to find a support phone number in your country.