Principal booked for abetting suicide of nursing student over caste-based harassment

Navi Mumbai police investigate caste-based harassment linked to a nursing student's suicide, following his mother's complaint against the college principal.

Navi Mumbai: The Panvel Taluka police have launched an investigation into allegations of caste-based harassment that reportedly led a 19-year-old nursing student to die by suicide on June 3. The student, a resident of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), was in his first year of a BSc Nursing programme at a private college in Poyanje, Panvel Taluka.

Principal booked for abetting suicide of nursing student over caste-based harassment

According to the police complaint filed by the student’s mother, the college principal repeatedly subjected her son to casteist slurs and derogatory remarks, which allegedly caused significant emotional distress. The complaint states that the abuse began shortly after the student enrolled in December 2024 and persisted over several months.

“Within a month of joining, the student’s health reportedly declined. On the advice of the college principal, he was sent home to Sambhajinagar for medical treatment. It was during this period that he confided in his family about the harassment he was facing,” said a police officer involved in the inquiry.

Despite his deteriorating mental state, the student returned to college in April, hoping to resume his studies. However, the harassment allegedly continued. On May 30, during a college event attended by his mother, she too witnessed hostile behaviour. According to the complaint, the principal demanded ₹5 lakh in fees and threatened to issue a leaving certificate if the amount was not paid. The student was also reportedly not allowed to accompany his mother to the Panvel bus stand.

In the early hours of June 3, around 1:30 am, the student phoned his mother, expressing his anguish and saying he could no longer endure the humiliation. Alarmed, she alerted his friends, who rushed to his hostel room but found him hanging from the window grille. He was declared dead at the Panvel Sub-District Hospital.

Preliminary inquiries suggest the student had enrolled at the college after failing to secure a seat through the MHT-CET. The institution had allegedly assured him of free education and accommodation under the SC reservation quota, but these promises were not honoured. Despite sharing his concerns with his family, he was encouraged to continue for the sake of his future.

Following funeral rites, the mother filed a formal police complaint. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 — including Sections 3(1)(r), 3(1)(s), and 2 — as well as Sections 108 (abetment of suicide) and 352 (assault or use of criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).