A day after two Class 10 students committed suicide by jumping from the eighth floor of a building in Hyderabad’s LB Nagar area, the police are yet to ascertain the reason behind what seems to be a suicide pact.
Academic pressure is suspected to be the reason as of now, which led Bhargavi Patel and Kala Sravani to take the extreme step.
The police on Friday questioned the family and friends of the two girls, besides officials from the management of the school. A case has been registered under section 174 of the CrPC.
The two girls, after spending a few hours at home doing combined studies, stepped out and walked to the eighth floor, where they jumped together. Both of them died on the spot.
In a message, Akshara International School, where the two girls were studying, declared a holiday on Friday adding, “They will be in our hearts and we express our condolences.”
However, this did not pacify angry members of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), who demanded strict action under the school, and raised slogans outside the institute’s closed gates.
“Several international and corporate schools are introducing foundation courses for competitive exams. This is excess burden on students, forcing them to commit suicide. The government should cancel all such foundation courses,” Venkat Balmoori, Telangana president of NSUI, told ToI.
In a related development, the bodies of both the teenagers were handed over to their respective families after a postmortem was conducted at the Osmania General Hospital.
Child rights organisations like the Balala Hakkula Sangham demanded that an inquiry must be conducted, to ascertain the reasons behind the suicide.
To rule out any foul play, the police have also approached the Telangana Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).
“In the note, recovered from Bhargavi’s house, Sravani addressed her parents seeking apology for taking the extreme step. She ended the note with her signature. However, we asked the forensic experts opinion so that all the doubts are cleared,” LB Nagar Sub-Inspector V Maraiah was quoted as saying.
Those in need of counselling can contact Roshni, a suicide helpline operational every day from 11 am to 9 pm. Roshni can be reached at 040 66202000/2001.