A female student of a church-run institute in Kerala, India, reportedly took her own life due to the mental torture she allegedly received from her instructors. The incident sparked controversy, and a group of Bishops voiced their concerns.
Suicide Case in Church-Run Institution
On Friday, June 2, Sradha Satheesh, a second-year student of food technology at Amal Jyothi College of Engineering in the Kanjirappilly diocese in the Kottayam district in the southern part of the state of Kerala, ended her own life by hanging herself from a ceiling ventilator inside the hostel where she was staying. According to a report from the UCA News, it has been claimed that the student, who is now 20 years old, did not pass several subjects on the yearly examinations. Students at the premium institution, which had opened its doors in 2001, engaged in violent protests two days later, demanding that action be taken against the college's management and personnel. Since then, the administration has reportedly decided to close the establishment permanently.
As mentioned, students from the Students' Federation of India (SFI), which is the student affiliate of India's ruling Communist party, also took part in the demonstration that took place in the college, which is considered to be one of the best and most competitive engineering institutes in the state. Moreover, Edex Live News reported that the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC), the highest authority among Catholic priests in Kerala, released a statement addressing the incident, expressing regret and worry over the suicide. The "planned" tension on the college campus was also mentioned as a cause of their concern. Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, the President of the KCBC, has offered his cooperation and declared that the denomination would offer whatever help is required for an impartial investigation. He has requested that the government provide security to keep a peaceful situation in the college.
On the other hand, UCA News also reported that the "grief and sorrow" of the Kanjirapally diocese's vicar general, Father Boby Alex Mannamplackal, was expressed following the news of the death of the Church-run institution's student. Despite this, Father Mannamplackal stated in a video message that there was no evidence of foul play in her passing. He explained that she was immediately brought to a nearby private hospital when they discovered her hanging from the ceiling fan. At the same time, the priest asserted that they had alerted her family members and the authorities. "We have sought a fair probe into the circumstances that forced her to take such an extreme step," Father Mannamplackal added.
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Student Suicide in India Due to Failed Examination
As per Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI) compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), over 13,000 students passed away in 2021 in India at a rate of more than 35 every day. This represents a rise of 4.5 percent from the 12,526 deaths that occurred in 2020. Additionally, 864 of the 10,732 suicides were attributed to "failure in examination," Wion News reported. According to the most recent data collected by the NCRB in 2021, the total number of student deaths caused by suicide witnessed a rise of 4.5 percent. In 2021, the total number of student deaths caused by suicide was highest in Maharashtra, with 1,834 fatalities. It was followed by Madhya Pradesh, with 1,308 deaths, and Tamil Nadu, with 1,246 deaths.
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