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A 19-year-old tribal student from the Lambada community died by suicide in his hostel room near Hyderabad after fellow students allegedly harassed him, forcing him to pay Rs 10,000 for their drinks at a bar.
Jadhav Sai Teja was a second-year engineering student at Siddhartha Institute of Technology & Sciences (SITS) in Ghatkesar near Hyderabad.
Teja was found dead in his hostel room on the night of Sunday, September 21, after a senior and other students allegedly assaulted and humiliated him at a bar, demanding that he pay for their drinks.
Just before his death, Teja filmed a video alleging that some seniors were harassing and beating him up. His father Prem Singh told the media that on a phone call, Teja mentioned that a senior called Chinna Babu along with others beat him up, and that they were going to kill him.
A friend of Teja told the media that on September 20, Teja and his friend David got into an argument with their junior, a first-year-student named Murali. Murali approached fourth-year-student Chinna Babu for support, who allegedly beat up David and Teja the next day before taking them to a bar near Teja’s hostel in Narapally.
According to Teja’s family, around nine people took Teja to the bar, where they harassed and humiliated him. When the bill of Rs 10,000 arrived, they allegedly forced Teja and his friends to pay.
“I spoke to my son on Sunday around 5.30 pm. He asked for money and I sent him Rs 1,500. Around 8.30 pm, he sent a video on WhatsApp saying seniors were beating him up,” said Teja’s father Prem Singh, a lab technician from Nagalkonda village, Utnoor mandal, Adilabad district.
According to The Times of India, Chinna Babu and eight others were booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on charges of abetment of suicide and extortion, as well as the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Teja’s friend and family members also alleged that some of the people who harassed him were not students of the same college but outsiders. Medipally Inspector of Police R Govinda Reddy told ToI that Teja only named Chinna Babu in his video, and the police were in the process of verifying how many of the other accused were Teja’s collegemates.
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.