[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/india/Engg-student-jumps-to-her-death-ragging-suspected/articleshow/5015726.cms] TNN 16 September 2009, 02:21am IST
LUCKNOW: A first year engineering student, identified as Poonam Mishra, committed suicide by jumping off the third floor of her college building in the city on Tuesday. Although ragging was apprehended as the reason for the girl's extreme step, college administration and the police said the girl was under depression. The incident was reported from Bijnore area under Sarojininagar police circle. Identified as Poonam Mishra of Muftiganj in Jaunpur district, the girl was a student of Azad Institute of Engineering and Technology. Poonamstayed in room number 107 of Azad Girls Hostel along with two other girls. The incident took place around 12.30 pm after her last class. Said college director Mohammed Hussain: "She along with her other friends came out of the classroom and then told them that she had left her bag inside and would get it back. As others waited for her, she jumped off the building.'' Students and teachers immediately rushed her to FI Hospital in Kaiserbagh, where she died. A first year student of the college, who was present at FI Hospital, told TOI that ragging could possibly be the reason for her mental state. "Ragging is going on in our college. I myself have been a victim of it. Probably, she also faced such a situation,'' he said. Talking to TOI, however, the college administration denied that ragging was going on in their college. Director Ahmad Hussain said: "There is no ragging going on here. What Poonam's roommates have told me and the police is that she was finding it difficult to cope with teaching in English. As she was weak in the subject, she had been under depression for some days.'' The director, however, could not explain how a student, who had just been in the college for a week, could take such a step. When asked whether the college was contemplating any inquiry, Ahmad said: "Till now, no inquiry has been conducted by us.'' Circle Officer (CO), Sarojiningar, Subhash Atri, too said Poonam had problems with English. "She didn't die because of ragging and no suicide note has been recovered from her hostel room or her bag.'' When TOI contacted Poonam's father Dharam Raj, who works in Azamgarh district administration, he said: "I don't know why she took this step. She did tell me two days ago that she was facing problems in coping with the English language. However, at that moment, I did not know it was so serious.'' -- Posted By Ragging News to Ragging News From Indian Colleges at 9/17/2009 12:07:00 AM
