Nalanda: A second-year civil engineering student at a private college in Nalanda district died by suicide on Wednesday night, triggering violent protests and allegations of ragging and administrative negligence.
Police said the student jumped from the third floor of her hostel in the Chandi police station area. Witnesses reported she had been distressed due to ragging by peers. The incident shocked fellow students, with her roommate fainting upon discovering her bloodied body. She was rushed to Chandi Referral Hospital and later referred to Patna in critical condition.
Before her death, the victim had refused dinner, telling her roommate she had eaten snacks. When her roommate returned from the mess later that evening, she found the victim missing, with her laptop still on and phone calls unanswered. Moments later, she discovered the body lying in a pool of blood beneath the dormitory.
The death triggered widespread anger on campus. Students alleged the college principal failed to act swiftly, accusing him of refusing to provide his personal vehicle to transport the victim to hospital. They claimed the delay in arranging an ambulance cost the student her life.
Enraged, students vandalised the college campus, torched property, and even damaged the car of a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), prompting the deployment of heavy police forces.
Several hostel residents alleged the victim had been mentally disturbed due to ragging, which may have driven her to the extreme step.
Chandi Station House Officer Suman Kumar confirmed that police have opened an investigation. “The exact cause of the suicide has not yet been ascertained,” he said. “Taking the ragging complaints seriously, all aspects are being investigated.”
