(Trigger Warning: Descriptions of suicide. If you feel suicidal or know someone in distress, please reach out to them with kindness and call these numbers of local emergency services, helplines, and mental health NGOs.)
A 23-year-old Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) aspirant, identified as Marri Pravallika, allegedly died by suicide in her hostel room in Hyderabad's Ashok Nagar area on the night of Friday, 13 October.
Protests erupted after the news of her death reached other students on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, 14 October, with many claiming that Pravallika – who was unemployed – was frustrated over the repeated cancellation and postponement of the TSPSC Group 2 exams.
However, DCP Central Zone, Hyderabad, claimed in a statement on Saturday that Pravalika, who hailed from Durgundi in Warangal district, died by suicide over personal reasons.
Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, meanwhile, has sought a detailed report of the incident within 48 hours.
What Happened?
After 12 am on Saturday, a large gathering of students "who have been preparing for competitive exams" in Hyderabad's Ashok Nagar took to the streets over Pravallika's death at a private hostel earlier in the night. They "raised slogans against the government" and did not allow the police to "shift the deceased's body," the DCP's statement said.
The police claimed that "the mob started pelting stones" at them, injuring two officials. A case under Section 174 of CrPC (police to inquire and report on suicide) was registered.
The police further said that upon examination of Pravallika's WhatsApp chats, she allegedly told one of her friends that she was upset over her purported boyfriend getting engaged to another woman.
"The WhatsApp chats clearly establish the cause of her suicide," the police said.
News agency ANI quoted a police official as saying that in a note left behind by Pravallika, she apologised to her parents for not doing "anything for them."
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