Hubballi: Distraught family members of twenty-eight-year old student Manjunath Churi in Seemikeri village of Bagalkot taluk are awaiting news about him after he went missing on Sunday in Germany.
But Bagalkot Lok Sabha member P.C. Gaddigoudar claimed that the student is suspected to have committed suicide by drowning in a river as German police found his clothes, bicycle and footwear on the banks of the river in Hamburg.
Stating that he has received information from the external affairs ministry about the suspected suicide, the MP said the authorities are trying to recover his body after the water flow in the river goes down.
Shocked Bagalkot family demands thorough probe
Manjunath had switched off his cellphone and had not operated his WhatsApp and Facebook accounts ever since he had gone missing. German police have reportedly found a letter written by him in Kannada. But, police are yet to obtain contents of the letter. Meanwhile, family members and relatives of the student have sought an investigation into the case if he had committed suicide. They have also sought a thorough probe to find out if he was under mental stress abroad.
Bagalkot police are in touch with German police and Indian embassy for details about the student who was doing his Master of Software course in Hamburg. A few friends of Indian origin, who have been living with Manjunath, were clueless about his whereabouts.
His uncle Mallikarjun said that Manjunath had been living in Hamburg for nearly two years after completing his graduation in Basaveshwar Engineering College in Bagalkot. Manjunath had availed himself of financial assistance from Devaraj Urs Backward Class Development Corporation for his studies. Stating that Manjunath used to call his mother every day, the uncle said that he was very comfortable staying in a single bedroom apartment in Hamburg.
“Manjunath had visited his village on November 21 last year when his father died in a road accident. He had stayed for eight days and instilled confidence in his mother and sisters. His suspected suicide has shocked all of us,” Mallikarjun said. Bagalkot SP C.B. Rishyant claimed that he was in touch with the officals at the Indian embassy in Germany.
