Dalit NEET aspirant dies by suicide, kin allege caste discrimination

HYDERABAD: An 18-year-old NEET aspirant who belonged to a Scheduled Caste community died by suicide on the premises of Davao International Medical Academy in Hayathnagar, due to allegedly being harassed by her batchmates over her caste.

The student, Penumala Vidya Priyanka, was found in a pool of blood around 9.30 pm on Monday and rushed to a private hospital, where she was declared brought dead.

On a complaint from her parents, the police filed a case of abetment to suicide and invoked sections of the Prevention of Atrocities (SC & ST) Act, Hayathnagar police inspector H. Venkateshwarlu said.

The student was a native of the Bhadradri-Kothagudem district and had joined the academy for NEET coaching.

Her father, Penumala Prabhakar Rao, said that her roommates mentally harassed her and provoked her to die by suicide. He said that she had informed him about the harassment earlier and that she had reached out to the management too, but they failed to act.

“Since then, I have been in regular contact with my daughter over the phone, giving her moral support,” he said.

Rao said that when he spoke to his daughter on Monday night, she sounded down, due to which he asked her to return home. “She disconnected the call saying that she was going to the classroom. Fifteen minutes later, the academy staff called me, informing me that she died by suicide,” he said.

The police said they found a suicide note in the victim’s possession, in which she apologised to her parents and said she was taking the step due to stress.

“The letter also said that nobody was responsible for her death. The letter was seized and sent for forensic analysis for verifying her handwriting,” a police official said.