Early on Wednesday morning, a Class 12 student fell to his death from the 18th floor of Prestige Shantiniketan Apartments in Bengaluru’s Whitefield.
Palash Chaudhry, the older son of a techie with a private company, had gone to visit his friend in Whitefield when the unfortunate incident occurred.
A student of The International School Bengaluru, Palash is survived by his parents and his younger brother, who studies in the same school.
According to an investigating officer, who visited the spot after being alerted, Palash had not left behind a suicide note.
Palash lived in Adarsh Palm Meadows and regularly visited his friend who resided in tower number 15 in Prestige Shantniketan.
“Around 3.30 am, Palash went to Prestige Shantinikethan. The security guard at his house confirms this. Also, when he entered Prestige, the security guard asked him to make an entry. They knew Palash very well as he visited regularly. He told them that he wanted to go to the 18th floor. It was around 6 am when he fell,” the IO said.
According to the Kadugodi Police, the statements of Palash’s parents have not yet been recorded.
“The family is in a state of shock and they were angry when we approached them yesterday afternoon, we will register a case once we get their statement as it is not known if the boy jumped off or if he was pushed,” the officer added.
The Kadugodi Police said that they will take the parents’ statement by Friday.
“Parents feel that the boy fell down by accident. We have to retrace his steps to find out what happened between 3.30 am and 6 am. Why was he on the terrace and why he went straight up, these are still unanswered questions. The neighbours also said they heard some noise in the early hours,” DCP Whitefield Abdul Ahad said.
Meanwhile, the school has declared a holiday on Thursday and will hold a memorial service in memory of Palash on Friday.
The school has requested all the parents to not reveal the identity of the family members or believe any false news about his death.
“A byproduct of our very connected world is that sometimes inaccurate information is disseminated and I am keen to ensure that this does not happen. I would ask you please to respect the privacy of this family at this extraordinarily difficult time,” an official spokesperson of the school told parents of all students, on behalf of the principal.