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College student thrashed in Thane for not speaking Marathi, dies by suicide
A case of accidental death has been registered by the police and a probe is underway.
A 19-year-old student died by suicide in Maharashtra's Thane after a group of people allegedly assaulted him on a local train following an argument over not speaking in Marathi, news agency PTI reported on Thursday, citing the police.
According to the police, the student was found dead at his apartment on Tuesday evening.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Kalyanji Gete said that the student was on a local train heading to his college when the alleged assault occurred between Kalyan and Thane stations on Tuesday morning.
According to the student's father, his son was asked by a passenger to move a little ahead in a crowded compartment, but the matter escalated when the latter reprimanded him for not speaking in Marathi, reported PTI.
“The passenger, along with his five companions, then brutally assaulted my son, raining punches on him…” he said.
According to the police, the deceased returned from his college early and informed his father about the assault on the phone.
"He informed his father about the incident on his mobile phone, and the father sensed fear and tension in his voice. On returning home from work later that evening, he found the door closed. He broke down the door with the help of neighbours, and found his son (dead)…," the official said, according to PTI.
Gete said that the teen's father has filed a complaint claiming his son died by suicide, attributing it to the mental stress from the beating. The police have registered an accidental death case, and an investigation is ongoing.
