Eighth class student dies mysteriously in SW Hostel

Collector suspends three hostel staff, inquiry ordered

An eighth class student, Geddam Sravanthi (12), died under suspicious circumstances in Social Welfare Residential School Hostel, in Marteru village, Penumantra mandal in the district.

Students, who noticed the body hanging to the ceiling in a classroom alerted the staff. The Penumantra police registered a case on October 29, and shifted the body to Government Hospital for postmortem.

A native of Podalada village in Iragavaram mandal of West Godavari district, Sravanthi was a semi-orphan, and was studying in the hostel for the last two years. Her father, Suresh, is a labourer and mother died a few years ago, said Penumantra SI S.N.V.V. Ramesh.

The girl was staying with her grandparents and she brought ₹600 while coming from home on October 20. Sravanthi kept ₹400 with hostel warden, V. Anitha and ₹200 with helper, G. Shalini.

Suicide note recovered

“In a suicide note left behind, the victim stated that she committed theft from her aunt’s house and did a mistake. The amount was kept with the hostel warden and helper and she wanted to go to her mother,” Mr. Ramesh said.

Following a complaint lodged by Sravanthi’s grandfather, Satyanarayana, alleging that the girl was murdered and then the hostel staff created it as a suicide, a case has been registered under Section 174 CrPc (Suspicious death).

Meanwhile, West Godavari district Collector Kartikeya Misra who expressed anger over the incident, suspended warden Anita, cook Ammaji, and helper Shalini.

He directed the Social Welfare and Police department officials to conduct an inquiry into the cause of the student’s death on the hostel premises.

Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.

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