NEET aspirant dies by suicide in Hyderabad, father alleges caste-based discrimination

Hayathnagar police inspector H Venkateshwarlu said that a First Information Report (FIR) under Section 306 (abetment to suicide) and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act) has been registered and the investigation is progressing.

According to her father Penumala Prabhakar Rao, Priyanka has been preparing for NEET at the Davao International Medical Academy in Hayathnagar for the past six months and shared a hostel room with four girls. He said that the roommates used to harass her mentally by mentioning her caste and isolating her.

Vidya hailed from a Scheduled Caste community and the father said that her roommates used to speak ill about her to others at the institute and in the hostel, said the Hayathnagar police. A suicide note purportedly written by her is recovered by the police and is being verified for authenticity.

“The roommates harassed her mentally and provoked her to commit suicide,” the father said. Initially, when he came to know about the harassment being faced by her daughter, the father informed the matter to the management of the institute but received no proper response. The institute also did not issue any warning to other students, he added.

The father said that he used to talk to Vidya Priyanka regularly and offer moral support.

“On Monday evening too, I spoke to her over the phone and asked her to come home. She agreed and hung up the call saying she had to go to class. About 15 minutes later, I received a phone call from the academy informing me about my daughter’s suicide. She had jumped off the building. She was rushed to a private hospital where she was declared dead after suffering severe injuries,” the father told the police. He blamed the students and management of the institute for his daughter’s death and sought action.