A 23-year-old second-year M.Tech student of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) hailing from Kadapa district allegedly hanged himself in his hostel room on Monday night.
According to police, Nagendra Kumar Reddy, from Kesapuram village in Rayachoti mandal, was found hanging dead in his room in the Tamraparani hostel of IIT-M on Monday night by fellow students. They alerted the management, the police and the young man’s parents. A case has been filed under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (unnatural death) and an investigation is on. Police suspect Mr Reddy ended his life due to academic pressure.
Nagendra Kumar Reddy completed his schooling in his hometown and his B Tech in Kurnool. His father Narayana Reddy, who went to Chennai to take his son’s body back home, said his son had been selected by a private company in campus placement. “The firm paid the fees for his M.Tech. and provided him a stipend of Rs. 13,000 per month,” said Mr Reddy, a poor farmer.
“He was good at studies and was focused on getting into the civil services. He used to study for 16 hours every day. He wanted to lift our family out of poverty. He did not have many friends either in his hometown or in college,” said the victim’s cousin, Harish.
Nagendra Kumar went home last week and returned to Chennai on Sunday evening. Mr Narayana Reddy recalled his last meeting with his son: “As we walked to the bus stop, I asked him if he had any problem. He said he was alright. On Monday morning, I called him again to check if he had reached. He said he was tired and was going to sleep.” The only son of Kanthamma and Naram Narayana Reddy, a farmer with a landholding of five acres, Nagendra Kumar was a topper since childhood. He passed SSC as well as Intermediate with flying colours from Raju School at Rayachoti. As he secured 975 marks in his Intermediate, Indian Oil Corporation granted him an annual scholarship of Rs. 36,000 to study B. Tech. (electrical engineering) at G. Pulla Reddy Engineering College in Kurnool.
His academic record earned him a job in Larsen & Toubro firm at Manapakkam in Chennai and a scholarship from the firm to study M. Tech. in IIT, Chennai. He topped the M. Tech. first year at IIT and was awarded a medal.
Not only his parents and relatives, but the villagers of Kesapuram were grief-stricken upon hearing the news of his death. He visited his native village on Saturday and took part in the Ganesh idol immersion on Sunday. He left Rayachoti by bus on Sunday night and rang up home at 5 a.m. on Monday to inform his mother K anthamma about his safe arrival at Chennai and went back to his hostel.
(With reporting from M.V.Subramanyam, Kurnool)
