Six booked for air force student's death in Bengaluru; family suspects foul play

Six persons from the Air Force Technical College in Bengaluru's Jalahalli were booked after police found their names in a seven-page death note by the student who was found hanging from the ceiling of his hostel room on Wednesday.

Published on: Sep 24, 2022, 17:04:31 IST

By Yamini C S | Edited by Aniruddha Dhar

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A 27-year-old air force student was found hanging from the ceiling of his hostel room at Air Force Technical College (AFTC) in Bengaluru's Jalahalli on Wednesday. The police have also recovered a seven-page death note in which the student, identified as Ankit Kumar Jha, took the names of six persons, including those with the ranks of air commodore, group captain and wing commander, behind his extreme step.

Ankit Kumar Jha was found hanging from the ceiling of his hostel room on Wednesday. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

All six persons have been booked by the Gangammanagudi police under section 302 of the IPC.

An officer involved in the investigation of the case told The New Indian Express that no arrests have been made so far. “It appears that he has died by hanging himself. The post-mortem report will ascertain the cause of the death. The statements of the suspects can indicate why the victim took the extreme step.”

Jha was discharged from service after a disciplinary enquiry and was upset about that. This cousin Richa Thakur alleged that this is a murder and not suicide.

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“He was under severe mental trauma as disciplinary action was taken against him. He was also terminated in July. The details of his termination cannot be shared unless his parents allow me to do so. While taking to me over phone, Ankit told me that he was being forced to sign certain documents. We suspect he must have died around 4.30 pm on Wednesday after sending a message to his brother Aman, who was in Kochi," she told the publication.

The family also claimed they were not immediately made aware of his untimely demise. Thakur said the family had to visit the institute personally after multiple calls to the victim went unanswered. "We went there by 7pm, and learnt about his death,” she said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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