Sharda University suicide: Family, students protest against faculty; police resort to lathi-charge

Greater Noida (UP), July 19 (IANS) The tragic suicide of a 21-year-old Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) second-year student inside the girls' hostel of Sharda University has triggered widespread outrage among the family and fellow students.

They staged a protest on campus on Saturday, demanding justice and strict action against the faculty members named in her suicide note.

The suicide occurred late on Friday night in Greater Noida's Knowledge Park area. The student was found hanging in her hostel room, police said. Two teachers have been arrested by the police so far in the case.

Shock and anger rippled through the campus, especially in the hostel premises, after a suicide note was recovered from the room. In the note, the student accused one male and one female faculty member from the dental department of mentally harassing her.

According to officials, the student had recently shown signs of mental distress, though no official complaint had been filed prior to the incident.

The incident triggered protests on campus, as students and family members raised slogans against the university administration and demanded a transparent and impartial investigation.

Tensions escalated after they alleged that the police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the gathering, injuring several people.

Speaking to IANS, the student's mother said her daughter and other students were under extreme stress due to threats from faculty about failing.

"I spoke to my daughter at 8 A.M. yesterday. Later, I called around 5:30 P.M., but she didn't answer. The teachers threatened to fail them by withholding their signatures on exam assignments. She was forced into taking this step. We were not even informed about her death. We demand justice," she said.

She further alleged that police hit her husband, son, and other relatives during the protest.

"My sister-in-law was pushed and injured. The police attacked us instead of helping us," she added.

Another relative accused the university of trying to suppress the case.

"There was a similar case of a student from Odisha that was also hushed up. This time, too, they tried to hide the incident by not informing us," he said.

The student's cousin told IANS that the family received the information only at 9:30 P.M. and had to call the police themselves at 10:42 P.M.

"The university took her to the hospital without informing the police or us. How can they do that? We want justice, and instead the police are lathi-charging us. The ADCP was present when this happened," he said.

No official from the university administration met the family to explain the circumstances of the student's death, relatives claimed.

"No one came forward. This university has no accountability. We demand not just action against the faculty but also against the institution. If justice is not served, we will not allow the university to function," a family member warned.

Allegations have also surfaced regarding procedural lapses.

"The body was brought down without informing the police. Everything was done by the college, not the police. This is a murderous university," said another relative.

Appealing directly to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the family has demanded strict action against the university administration and the accused faculty.

Meanwhile, police said that investigations are ongoing.

Further details are awaited.

--IANS

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