A second-year Jawaharlal Nehru University student allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan inside a library room at the university, police said Friday. DCP (Southwest) Devender Arya identified the student as Rishi Joshua, who was pursuing MA in English.
According to police, he had emailed a suicide note to his professor before hanging himself. âIn the note, he said âby the time you read this, I will be deadâ. There are two-three other lines in the note, but they say the same thing,â Arya said.
Police claimed Joshua was depressed for some time and was seeking treatment.
Sources in the Centre for English Studies (CES) said Joshua had taken a zero semester in the last semester â a provision in JNU for students who need to take a break in their studies. If a student applies for zero semester, that semester is considered âzeroâ, and the student can continue his programme in the following semester. One primary reason why students apply for, and are granted, zero semester is for medical reasons.
Police were informed about the incident around 11.30 am by the warden of Mahi Mandavi hostel, where Joshua stayed. Police sent a team, which reached the School of Languages after contacting the caller, identified as the in-charge of the hostel.
According to sources, Joshua had scheduled an email to be sent to a senior faculty member of CES at 11 am. Besides informing the faculty that he had taken such a step, Joshua also apparently wrote to the professor, asking him to take care of his parents.
University officials said Joshuaâs body was found inside a room in the basement of the library building. âThe room was locked from inside; we knocked several times but got no response. We then saw the studentâs body through a window,â Arya said.
The body was taken to Safdarjung Hospital, he said, adding that the studentâs relatives have been informed and his cousin Mathew Vargese has reached the university. âHe was undergoing some treatment, as per preliminary inquiry… No foul play is suspected,â the DCP said.
Some of Joshuaâs classmates and friends, who did not wish to be named, said he had been suffering from depression for some time. A classmate said he looked âvisibly upsetâ in the last week, while another friend said he had spoken to Joshua in March this year about âdepression and writingâ in the backdrop of a play on depression that they saw.
At his hostel too, students said he mostly stayed inside his room. âHe didnât venture out too much,â said a hosteller.
In a statement, JNU expressed its âdeep condolences at the untimely demise of an MA student in one of the academic buildings of the universityâ. âHis parents have been informed about the unfortunate incident,â it said.
Joshuaâs relatives, who had gathered at the Safdarjung Hospital mortuary, refused to speak on the matter. âThis is a very sensitive matter and we donât want to comment on anything,â said a relative, who refused to identify herself.