BTech student dies by suicide in university hostel in Gurugram

Gurugram, Aug 26 (PTI) A BTech third-year student allegedly hanged herself to death in the hostel of the MBL Raman Munjal University in Sidhrawali village, officials said on Tuesday.

The deceased student was identified as Bhumika Gupta (23), a resident of Alwar, Rajasthan, the police said.

The incident occurred on Monday night after the student attended a friend's birthday party, following which she returned to her room after midnight and allegedly hanged herself, the police mentioned further.

A team from the Bilaspur Police Station reached the spot, took the body into custody and sent it to the mortuary for postmortem. The student's family was informed about the incident.

The reason behind her extreme step is yet to be ascertained, and no suicide note was found in her room, the police noted.

Sharing details about the incident, the police said that around 1.30 am, Bhumika's roommate returned to their room to collect ribbons needed for the birthday party. However, the room was locked from the inside and there was no response after repeated knocks.

The roommate then informed the hostel warden, who called a plumber to break open the door's latch. Once they entered the room, they allegedly found Bhumika hanging from a noose tied to a ceiling fan's hook.

During questioning, the roommate said that Bhumika appeared to be absolutely fine during the birthday party, and that nothing untoward happened which could have made her end her life, the police stated.

The family of the deceased student arrived in Gurugram on Tuesday. Bhumika's maternal uncle alleged that the circumstances surrounding her hanging raise suspicions. Insisting that this was a case of murder and not suicide, he called for an impartial investigation into the case, the police said.

"When we reached the hostel, the warden told us that they had broken the door at 2:00 am and found Bhumika hanging inside. They came to know at 2.15 am, but called the family only at 3.30 am, and this raises doubts", her uncle said.

He added that her father, Laxmikant Gupta, was a school teacher who passed away in 2012, and her mother, Beena Gupta, works in the Women and Child Development Department and that Bhumika was adopted by her uncle, Pramod Gupta.

"Prima facie, it appears to be suicide; however, at the family's request, a board of doctors conducted a postmortem examination. We released the body to the family after the postmortem and are now awaiting the report," ASI Bijender Singh, the investigating officer, said.

Despite several attempts, university officials could not be reached for comment. PTI COR MPL MPL