ANU Guntur student suicide in 2015: Court dismisses case over lack of proof
On July 21, 2015, 18-year-old Rishiteswari’s body was found hanging from the ceiling in her room at Indira Priyadarshini hostel block of the university
By Newsmeter Network Published on 30 Nov 2024 10:11 AM GMT
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Guntur: A Guntur district court has dismissed the suicide case of ANU B Arch student Rishiteswari, stating that the prosecution has failed to prove the guilt of the accused.
The case dates to July 2015 when the student died by suicide in the hostel room alleging ragging.
After nine years, the court dismissed the case on Friday.
The 18-year-old was a native of Warangal and was studying for a Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) course at Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU), Guntur at the time of the incident. In a suicide note found, the victim alleged that a few seniors misbehaved with her at the freshers’ party. The Guntur police registered a case under Section 306 IPC (Abetment of Suicide) and Section 4 of the Prohibition of Ragging Act, 2011 and arrested a few senior students.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Rishiteswari's mother Durga Bai expressed sadness about the verdict: “The court dismissed the case citing lack of evidence. We produced the suicide note and Rishiteswari’s diary to the court. The judgment has disappointed us and injustice has been done to us. We will appeal against the judgment.”
The parents of the victim asked the administration why ragging wasn’t considered a serious cause of the death even after the daughter mentioned it in her diary.
Rishiteswari’s diaries detailed the harassment she faced at college
On July 21, 2015, 18-year-old Rishiteswari’s body was found hanging from the ceiling in her room at Indira Priyadarshini hostel block of the university. Next to her was a suicide note which alleged that seniors had harassed her and spread rumours about her that left her deeply disturbed.
The police found entries in her dairies too. The first diary, which also has Rishiteswari’s writings, had information about the issues she was facing because of the ragging by her seniors.
The second diary mentioned instances of harassment Rishiteswari faced from her seniors and friends, as well as the circumstances that led her to find a seat in the college. “I don’t know who to share this with. I don’t know how he could do this. I hate all men. I hate them all,” she wrote in the letter, speaking about a person who proposed to her.
During the investigation, ANU in-charge vice-chancellor KRS Sambasiva Rao was sacked and three students were arrested. However, the investigation and spotlight on the case went down eventually.
