A 20-year-old final-year diploma student of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) allegedly hanged herself on Monday night in her room at a hostel on the campus while on a video call with her father, who works in Saudi Arabia, police said.
University officials said the deceased was a student at the Women’s Polytechnic, AMU, and hailed from Azamgarh district. She was alone in her hostel room as her roommate had not returned after the winter vacation. While the university reopened on Monday, the student had stayed back in the hostel during the break.
Upon being informed, police reached the hostel and sent the body for the post-mortem examination, the report of which was awaited, officials said. According to Civil Lines police station in-charge Rajeev Kumar, no complaint has been received from family members in this regard.
AMU proctor prof Mohd Wasim Ali said the student had earlier spoken to her brother in Azamgarh before making a video call to her father around 8 pm, during which she allegedly expressed her intention to take the extreme step. Alarmed, the father and brother attempted to seek immediate help by contacting acquaintances in Aligarh and the university.
Hostel residents later told officials that they had heard the student speaking loudly on the phone but did not intervene, assuming it to be a family matter. The student’s brother also contacted a friend in Aligarh, around 1.5 km from the hostel, and asked him to rush to the spot. However, the friend faced difficulty entering the women’s hostel at night. By the time the matter reached AMU authorities and officials arrived at the hostel, the student was found in a critical condition. Officials said the student was rushed to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
{{/usCountry}}Hostel residents later told officials that they had heard the student speaking loudly on the phone but did not intervene, assuming it to be a family matter. The student’s brother also contacted a friend in Aligarh, around 1.5 km from the hostel, and asked him to rush to the spot. However, the friend faced difficulty entering the women’s hostel at night. By the time the matter reached AMU authorities and officials arrived at the hostel, the student was found in a critical condition. Officials said the student was rushed to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
{{/usCountry}}“No suicide note has been found. Police have been informed, and an investigation is underway,” prof Ali said, adding that the student’s father was expected to arrive from Saudi Arabia soon.
While the exact reason remains unclear, sources indicated that the student may have been distressed due to strained relations between her parents.
“It is part of the investigation and no specific reason can be assigned at this stage. All legal formalities are being completed,” the proctor said. AMU vice-chancellor prof Naima Khatoon visited the hostel along with senior university officials.