A Master's student from the University of Hyderabad died by suicide on Saturday. The student, Asarelly Harshvardhan's, friends and family say that he was upset after he found out that he had been given 'zero' attendance for his online classes. The family claimed that the student was shocked to find that he had been marked absent since he had been attending all the classes. However, his family said they weren't sure if there was any other reason why he took the drastic step.
The first-year MA Telugu student came from an SC family from Dewaluvada village in Kottapalli, Ramagundam. The FIR lodged at Kottapalli Police state stated that the 23-year-old had found out two days ago about his lack of attendance and had been upset. A family member told Edex that they weren't sure if there was any other cause, "We know that he was upset because of the attendance but he had told his parents that he had spoken to a faculty member and clarified that he had been attending all the classes. The faculty member had assured him that the problem would be sorted. But he still took this step."
"We are trying to see if there was any other reason but his parents don't have anything against the University. Their son is gone and they don't want to think about anything else," the student's uncle said. His friends at the University blame the administration though and believe that the imposition of online classes led to the student's suicide, especially because he came from an interior village in Telangana.
In a statement, the Youth for Inclusive and Sustainable Society, UoH said that it was online classes that had 'killed' Harshvardhan. "The FIR mentioned that due to online classes and attendance deficit, Harshvardhan had taken the step. Why did faculty members enter attendance into the e-Governance site? Online classes are killing marginalised and poor students," the YISS said. They demanded a proper inquiry into the suicide and urged the University to open for all marginalised and poor students of all departments. They also advised that students approach the CE (Controller of Examinations) office for any issues they may be facing in relation to exams.
