At least two roommates of 20-year-old Chaithanya Kumari, who died by suicide due to purported harassment by her hostel warden in Kerala’s Kasaragod, have made similar allegations against the caretaker, an investigating official said on Tuesday.
Speaking to NDTV, Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Inspector Ajith Kumar said Ranjani, the warden of the hostel belonging to Manzoor Hospital and School of Nursing, will likely be charged for abetment to suicide in connection with Chaithanya’s death after more students are interrogated.
“After her death on Saturday, a fresh First Information Report (FIR) has been registered and an inquiry is underway. We will be interviewing more students. The stronger the evidence, the better the chances of an arrest,” Mr Kumar, who is from Hosdurg Police Station in Kasargod, said.
“The charges against the warden will be altered as as per abetment of suicide provisions once we record more statements from the victim’s relatives and other students,” he added.
In December, as Chaithanya returned to her hostel late after a medical check-up, Ranjani confronted her and allegedly denied her food and water. Days later, on December 7, the student attempted suicide in her hostel room and then slipped into coma. She was initially taken to a private hospital in Mangaluru and then shifted to the Kasturba Medical College Hospital in the same city. She was further moved to the Aster Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) in Kannur and then to Kozhikode government medical college, where she died on Saturday.
After the student attempted suicide in December, Rajani was charged under sections 126 and 296(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for wrongful restraint and use of obscene words on the basis of a complaint filed by Chaithanya’s mother.
“Chaithanya’s mother thought her daughter would survive,” Mr Kumar said.
Asked if the student was provided any counselling, he said: “We do not have any information on whether Manzoor Hospital and the School of Nursing provided counseling to Chaitanya when she needed it.”
Earlier, Chaithanya’s classmates also alleged that the hostel rules were extremely strict. They alleged that they were denied holidays and were barred from using phones.
Speaking to NDTV, Chaithanya’s parents alleged that their daughter was selectively targeted by the hostel warden, and was harassed for no reason. The parents claimed that the warden drove her to die by suicide and demanded her arrest.
Chaithanya, a native of Kottayam, was soft-spoken and a sensitive person, her uncle said, adding that she was stressed because of selective targeting by the warden.
