In what seems to be a suspected suicide pact, two girl students in Hyderabad jumped from the eighth floor of a building in LB Nagar on Thursday.
The deceased have been identified as Sravani and Bhargavi. Both of them were 15 years old and studied at an international school in the city. They had jumped off a building where Bhargavi lived.
“Sravani, a resident of Chitra layout, visited Bhargavi's house for combined studies to prepare for the ongoing Class X examinations. Parents of both the victims claim that they were close friends and were studying in the same school. We are investigating why the girls ended their lives” LB Nagar inspector P. Kasi Reddy told a media outlet.
According to reports, the two girls, after spending a few hours at home, stepped out and walked to the eighth floor, where they jumped together. Both of them died on the spot.
The bodies were shifted for an autopsy at the city's state-run Osmania General Hospital.
Though academic pressure was reported to be the initial reason for the deaths, the police said that they would look into all possible angles.
“We will take action based on the postmortem report. In the preliminary inquiry, it was reported that the students committed suicide and there was no foul play. However, we registered a case of 174 CrPC (suspicious death) and took up investigation,’’ the inspector added.
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh witness one of the highest rates of student suicide in the country.
In October last year, Telangana Education Minister Kadiyam Srihari, warned that the state would shut down institutions if they violated the norms laid down by the government.
“Inspect the schools and colleges. Study the teaching methods and come out with suitable guidelines so that students can learn in a peaceful and stress-free atmosphere,” he told officials.
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.