A female student's suicide over the postponement of the Telangana State Public Service Commission’s exam triggered a massive protest in Hyderabad's Ashok Nagar area on Friday, October 13. The deceased M Pravalika (23) was residing in Brundavan hostel in Ashok Nagar while preparing for the TSPSC's Group-2 exam.
The massive protest was staged by hundreds of students, who sat on the road alongside Pravalika’s body. Slogans of ‘We want justice’ and roads being blocked by students were witnessed for a few hours on Friday night. Several students studying at coaching centres in Ashok Nagar turned up in solidarity. The protestors said they wouldn’t allow the police to take Pravalika’s body until justice was served. Two policemen were also injured as the protestors pelted stones against them.
BJP MP K Laxman and Congress leader Anil Kumar Yadav also joined the protest. They alleged that repeated cancellation and postponement of the exams by TSPSC due to question paper leak and the bungling has badly affected thousands of students. Telangana Congress Chief dubbed Pravalika’s murder a case of suicide by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) led state government. He urged people to throw the BRS party out of power for their inability to conduct exams.
A suicide note found in Pravallika’s room read, “I ask for your forgiveness, mother. I have always felt like a failure. Please don’t cry. Ensure your safety. I consider myself fortunate to be your daughter, and I hope to never bring shame to our family. I feel as though I’m letting all of you down, and I doubt anyone will find it in their hearts to forgive me for this. I am unable to be of any help to both of you. To Prani (addressing her brother Pranay), please take care of our parents.”
The leaders of both the parties were preventively detained by the police. The police then resorted to lathi charge to disperse the protesters and shifted Pravalika's body to Gandhi Hospital for autopsy post which it was sent to Warangal district.