17-Year-Old PU Student Found Dead in Davangere Hostel, Family Alleges Murder

A 17-year-old second-year pre-university student was found hanging from a window at her college hostel in Davangere on Wednesday night, prompting her family to lodge a police complaint alleging she was murdered. The deceased has been identified as Ranjitha, a native of Kuruvatti village in Hoovina Hadagali taluk of Vijayanagara district.

Ranjitha was studying at a pre-university college in Davangere and had been residing in the hostel for nearly one-and-a-half years. Following the discovery of her body, her parents approached the Vidyanagar police and filed a complaint alleging that the teenager was assaulted and murdered before her body was hung on the window. Based on their complaint, the police registered a case.

Ranjitha’s father, Ningappa, questioned how his daughter could have hanged herself from a window that was only about three feet high. He maintained that the death was not a case of suicide and sought an investigation. Her relative, Ganesh, also alleged that the circumstances surrounding the death pointed away from suicide and urged the police to arrest those responsible.

The college management disputed the family's claims and stated that the student appeared to be depressed after returning to the institution recently. College chairman Manjappa said she had sought and received permission to leave the premises early on Wednesday evening, citing health issues, and went to the hostel accompanied by another student.

According to the management, Ranjitha reached the hostel around 6:30 pm. Around 8:30 pm, her friends grew suspicious when she did not respond to repeated knocks on the room door and alerted the hostel warden. The door was subsequently broken open, after which she was found hanging, and college authorities alerted the police.

Manjappa denied that the student faced any pressure from either the college or her family, adding that the circumstances would become clear through the inquiry. Vidyanagar Inspector Shilpa confirmed that while the college maintains it was a suicide, the parents suspect murder, adding that an investigation has been initiated to ascertain the truth.