The heartrending death of 19-year-old Aditya Prabhu, a BTech student at PES University in Bengaluru, has triggered an outpouring of demands for justice and comprehensive policy reforms in educational institutions. Allegations of mistreatment and harassment by college authorities, which reportedly pushed Aditya to die by suicide on July 17, have spurred his family to seek accountability and enhanced safeguards for students, across the country.
Aditya was pursuing his engineering degree at PES University. On July 17, during an examination, he inadvertently carried his mobile phone into the exam hall. Realising his mistake, he promptly switched it to airplane mode. Unfortunately, an invigilator spotted the phone just minutes before the exam concluded. As a consequence, Aditya was detained later. Speaking to TNM, Aditya’s mother Asha, recalled the day of the incident and said, “He called after and narrated the incident. He said that they were harassing him and he was told that it’s better to die than do something like that. He also said that I would receive a call from college,” she added that Aditya was a bright student with an 8.55 GPA and even though carrying a phone to the exam hall was a mistake, he didn’t deserve to die for it.
Asha went to the college and she said that the staff referred to her as ‘malpractice mother’. She said, “I was there for 5 minutes and everyone was referring to me as malpractice mother and they didn’t know where Aditya was. They were asking, ‘Where is the malpractice boy’. Only after finding that he wasn’t there, they started looking for him. When I continuously asked where Aditya was, they said that he was hanging out with friends. I know my boy. He is not the kind of person to casually hang out with friends when such allegations had been made at him,” she said. When the officials rushed out after making a few calls she realised something was wrong and followed them out. As she followed them outside, she saw an ambulance and police already present, where she was informed that her son was no longer alive.
The devastating aftermath continued when she was asked to identify her son's body and pressured to sign a statement before any possible resuscitation attempt. Asha alleged that the college authorities were attempting to absolve themselves of responsibility to protect their reputation and took advantage of her vulnerable state as she was alone.
In her pursuit of justice for her son, Asha appealed to the college to acknowledge its mistake and revise its Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to ensure the safety and well-being of students facing similar situations. While bringing a mobile phone into the exam hall, even unintentionally, was wrong, she maintained that her son didn't deserve the alleged harassment that may have contributed to his decision to end his life. Her son deserved respect, including proper identification of his body instead of being treated as an unidentified one, she said.
Beyond seeking justice for Aditya, the family is advocating for comprehensive policy reforms in educational institutions. Asha asserted, "No parent should lose their child to negligence and mistreatment. We plead with the government to form a committee to investigate not just Aditya's death, but also other instances of mental torture in educational institutions."
Based on Aditya’s father’s statement, Girinagar police have filed a case against the invigilator, PES college management, and staff members und,er section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.
According to The Indian Express, PES University’s chancellor Prof Jawahar Doreswamy refuted some of the allegations made by Asha. He said that the university was cooperating with the investigation. He added that an internal investigation by the malpractice committee would be conducted to examine whether the proper chain of command was followed and to address any identified shortcomings.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.