A 16 –year-old student of first-year Intermediate, MPC group, studying in a corporate college allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself on Monday morning.
Gutikonda Vijaya Chowdhary, daughter of G. Purnachandra Rao, resident of Chillakallu village, Jagayyapeta mandal, was found hanging by her chunni in her room at Sri Chaitanya College’s Aparanjita Girls hostel in Tadigadapa under Penamaluru police station limits. The body was discovered by the hostel floor in-charge Ramya when she was on her routine rounds to wake up the students at around 5 a.m. on Monday.
According to the Penamaluru Police Station SHO K. Dharmendra, Vijaya spoke to her room mates till about 12 p.m. and then all of them had slept. She committed the act when six of her roommates were asleep in the same room. She used the fan hook to hang herself, said the SHO.
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The officer also informed that the 16-year-old was terribly homesick and had returned to the hostel only on Sunday after a three-day holiday.
Police suspect that homesickness coupled with academic stress could possibly be the reason for her taking the extreme step.
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Clinical psychiatrist Indla Vishal opined that students with average academic record should avoid joining corporate colleges, as the stress levels are very high.
He pointed out that till tenth class most the students live in a sheltered cocoon like atmosphere and suddenly in the intermediate they are exposed to the harsh reality of academic stress and pressure. “If one is not strong genetically or mentally they succumb to it. It is difficult to take up the stress of being assessed on a weekly or daily basis. Corporate colleges do it with the intention of getting the best out of the students, but it may not go well with everybody. This apart, peer and parental pressure also play a major role in shaping up the tender minds,” he said.
The psychiatrist also had a word of advice for the room mates.
“It was a rude shock for the roommates of the girl. They immediately need to be de-breezed, as such memories haunt for years to come. They also suffer from a sense of guilt,” said Dr. Vishal.