A student from Dindigul district in Tamil Nadu died by suicide on January 30 at PES University’s Electronic City campus in Bengaluru. The student has been identified as Vignesh K, a 19-year-old who was pursuing his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA). It is pertinent to note that two other students from the university had also died by suicide in the last seven months.
The Bangalore police have reportedly registered an FIR of ‘unnatural death’ based on a complaint filed by his father. The police also told Indian Express that they are going through material evidence and CCTV footage to probe the reason for Vignesh’s death. The postmortem has been completed and the body has been handed over to the family.
In July 2023, Aditya Prabhu, a 19-year-old BTech student died by suicide at the Girinagar campus, after being harrassed by college authorities for taking his mobile phone into an exam hall. Aditya’s death sparked massive outrage with widespread calls for #JusticeForAdityaPrabhu. Three PES staff members, Ajay Massand, Karthik S and the controller of examinations Kannan PS were booked in connection to his death under section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the IPC. In August 2023, the Karnataka Higher Education Department constituted an inquiry committee to probe Aditya’s death. As per The Hindu, third year student Surya M Achar took his life at the Electronics City campus in October, 2023.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm)
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India