UOH student ends life over low attendance at Kotapalli

Asarelli Harshavardhan, a first-year student of MA Telugu at the University of Hyderabad succumbed in hospital on February 20.

In her complaint to the Kotapalli police station in Ramagundam (Peddapalli) district on February 20, Bharathi Asarelli, mother of Asarelli Harshavardhan said two days before his demise, the college administration had announced online classes attendance in which Harshvardhan's performance was very poor.

On February 19, the deceased went to the Kaleshwaram temple in Devulawada village in Ramagudam district and consumed some unknown substance.

His parents immediately evacuated him to a nearby Government Hospital. After initial treatment, he was shifted to Om Sai hospital at Mancherial. Later, his parents took him to Medicover Hospital in Karimnagar while he died.

Police have filed an FIR under section 174 of CrPC (Police to enquire and report on suicide).

"He was a very sensitive person, even the professors told him not to worry about the attendance as this is the formality and he can sit in the exam, though he took it seriously," said Sai Asarelli, brother of Harshvardhan.

According to students, the department had marked attendance on the university portal. "He realized that he has poor attendance. Somehow he heard that due to poor attendance he won't be allowed to write the exam," said a student pleading anonymity.

The student clarified that compulsory attendance is not a prerequisite for writing the exam. "After the incident, the university has removed the attendance from the portal," said the student.

Considering the lockdown and non-availability of digital resources, the University has not made attendance mandatory for the exam. The exam for first-year students started on Monday