‘Sorry mummy, papa…’: B.Tech student found hanging in Raigarh hostel room, note cites exam stress

A second-year engineering student at a university in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh was found dead in her hostel room in an apparent suicide late Saturday night, a case that has cast a stark light on the immense academic and financial pressures faced by students.

The 20-year-old student, Princy Kumari, a B.Tech Computer Science student from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, was found hanging in her room by the hostel warden after her family raised the alarm. According to police reports, Kumari's family had been trying to reach her from around 8.30 pm. When their repeated calls went unanswered, they contacted university authorities.

According to the police account, the warden arrived at the room to find it locked from within. After receiving no response to repeated knocks, the warden then looked through a window and discovered the student hanging. Local police were subsequently alerted, conducted inquest proceedings and sent the body for post-mortem examination to formally ascertain the cause of death.

Central to the investigation is a suicide note recovered from the room. As reported by India Today, the note reveals a young woman overwhelmed by the dual burdens of academic performance and financial strain. In it, Kumari directly apologised to her parents, writing, "Sorry Mummy, Papa, I couldn't meet your expectations." Police confirmed the note expressed profound guilt over using her parents' savings for her education.

Investigators piecing together her final weeks describe a heavy academic load. Kumari was preparing not only for her ongoing second-year examinations but also had to clear a significant backlog of five subjects from her first semester. This compounded pressure appears to have been a critical factor.

"Initial information suggests that the student was under academic stress, as she was required to appear for second-year examinations along with first-year backlog papers," police said in a statement.

Financial concerns reportedly compounded this stress. Family members told police that Kumari had recently requested around Rs 1 lakh in instalments to pay her semester fees, a sum that weighed heavily on her, as mentioned in her note.

University staff and fellow hostel residents are currently being questioned as the investigation continues. The body has been handed over to Kumari’s grieving family.