Engineering student commits suicide near Vijayawada as academic failures take their toll

While the nation is still in shock over Dalit student Rohith Vemula’s suicide, a fourth year engineering student, who comes from a backward community, committed suicide in Ibrahimpatnam near Vijayawada on Saturday night, Deccan Chronicle reported. Puvala Prem Prasad, 22, was an electrical and electronics engineering student at Nova Engineering College. His roommate Manideep Kumar, who found the body, told The Indian Express that he was depressed as he was not doing well in his studies. [caption id=“attachment_2597902” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Image courtesy: Freeimages[/caption] Prasad hung himself in his rented accommodation, Kondapalli circle-inspector D Chavan told Deccan Chronicle, adding that he took this step because he had not cleared his subjects at college. However, Prasad did not leave behind any suicide note. NDTV reported that for the last three years, Prasad had not passed his exams. He had a backlog of 11 subjects and next week, he would have received his scores from his supplementary exams, reported The Indian Express. According to his brother, after their parents’ deaths in 2013 and 2014, he had become lonely. He also did not attend his classes regularly, reported the Deccan Chronicle. Prasad belonged to the Madiga Scheduled Caste community and was from the East Godavari district, according to NDTV. Prasad’s suicide comes at a time when the nation is reeling after Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula committed suicide in Hyderabad as a mark of protest against the treatment meted out to him at the University of Hyderabad. Vemula’s death has led to protests at the university, resignation of the vice-chancellor and blame game between the Congress and the BJP. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped in on Friday, saying, “The reasons for his suicide and the politics over his suicide are a different issue. However, mother India has lost a son.”