Hyderabad: A 21-year-old student of Osmania University was found hanging in the men’s washroom of the Maneru Hostel on the afternoon of December 3. E Murali, a first year MSc student, had not been seen since the night before and this led his worried friends to go in search of him. They found his body hanging in the washroom and immediately raised the alarm.
Not 24 hours after the boy was found dead, the Opposition’s grand alliance at Saroornagar proceeded to mobilize people against the government for their alleged failure to provide sufficient jobs to the youth.
Although the police say that Murali too his life after suffering from depression and pressure of examinations, some students and political parties claim that unemployment and frustration towards the government for the delay in releasing a job notification, were the real cause.
A call was raised to shut down the university campus on December 4, by the members of the Unemployment Joint Action Committee. As protests raged, the police arrived to try and control the situation. TJAC convener Professor Kodandaram and some Congress leaders also visited the campus.
A suicide note was later recovered wherein Murali stated that he was ending his life as he feared that he was going to fail in the examinations.
“Exams are nearing and I fear that I will fail. So, I have decided to end my life,” said the note. “Anna, don’t leave mother. Take care of her. Bhaskar, you are the younger son. I don’t want mother to know about my suicide,” the note continued.
The students who had gathered to protest, refused to allow the police or the university officials to take Murali’s body for an autopsy till late Sunday night.
The suicide has caused quite a scandal as the government’s critics are looking to attack it by linking the suicide to the issue of jobs.
Manavatha Roy, president of Osmania University Joint Action Committee said that they suspected that the suicide was the result of depression caused by the government’s delay in releasing the job notification. He also demanded that the government pay Rs 50 lakh as compensation to Murali’s family.
