Bengaluru’s Deputy Commissioner (DC) and District Magistrate (DM), Dayananda KA, issued a notice to the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, demanding an investigation into the student suicides at PES University.

“A complaint has been received by the commission that students are committing suicide due to the brutal behaviour by faculty and management, harsh words and toxic classroom atmosphere at PES University. It is directed to send a detailed report on the action taken on the said complaint to the commission within 07 days,” the notice dated February 20, stated in Kannada.

This letter has been issued on the basis of a complaint filed by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to Bengaluru DC.

To recall, the child rights body had sent a notice to Bengaluru DC over two months ago, on December 12, mandating that a report be submitted within seven days.

PES University has witnessed three student suicides in the last eight months raising concerns about students’ mental health and well-being at the institute. 

Vignesh Karupuswamy, a 19-year-old BBA student at PES University Electronic City Campus allegedly died by suicide on January 30, 2024. Another student, Surya M Achar, a third-year student pursuing BTech Computer Science ended his life in October 2023. Aditya Prabhu, a 19-year-old student, jumped to his death at the reputed engineering institute in July 2023.