Davanagere: A 17-year-old second PUC student was found hanging from a hostel window at a private college in Davanagere, with her family alleging that she was murdered and subsequently hanged to make it appear like suicide.
The deceased, Ranjitha, was the daughter of Ningappa from Kuruvathi village in Vijayanagara district. She had been pursuing her pre-university education at the college for the past one-and-a-half years.
The incident came to light on Wednesday night, September 2, when college staff found the student hanging and alerted Vidyanagar police. A police team visited the hostel and, after a preliminary inspection, shifted the body to the Chigateri District Hospital mortuary.
Ranjitha’s parents later approached Vidyanagar police and filed a complaint, raising doubts over the circumstances of her death. Her father said that she could not have hanged herself from a window only about three feet above the ground.
Ningappa said the family was informed about the incident around 8.30 pm and alleged that his daughter had been assaulted before being hanged. He also expressed displeasure over the college’s response, claiming that staff members had not met the family after the incident.
The family said Ranjitha had been doing well academically and had secured a rank in high school before joining the college for her PUC studies. Her relative Ganesh said she was cheerful, maintained regular contact with her family and had returned to the college only on Saturday after visiting home.
The family has demanded a thorough investigation and strict action if foul play is established. Police are expected to ascertain the exact circumstances leading to the student’s death, with the postmortem report likely to be crucial in determining whether it was suicide or homicide.
This post was last modified on September 3, 2026 8:24 pm