Published Sep 04, 2026 | 8:51 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 04, 2026 | 9:09 PM
Ashwini was found hanging in her dormitory on the afternoon of Wednesday, 2 September.
Synopsis: While seeking a detailed probe into the circumstances that forced the girl to take the extreme step, her father said a man had been harassing the deceased in her native village.
Activists and the family of an 18-year-old intermediate second-year student, who reportedly died by suicide in her hostel room at a state-run Gurukul junior college in Kammadanam, Ranga Reddy district, Telangana, have demanded a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
The student, Mudavath Ashwini, studied at the Telangana Gurukula Women’s Residential Junior College in Kammadanam, Farooqnagar mandal. She belonged to the ST Lambada community and hailed from Kolloni Marla Thanda in Jadcherla mandal, Mahabubnagar district.
Ashwini was found hanging in her dormitory on the afternoon of Wednesday, 2 September. The management shifted her to the government hospital in Shadnagar for treatment, and later to a private hospital, where she passed away.
Ashwini’s father, Mudavath Chandar, told police he learnt of an emergency from her class teacher over the phone and rushed to the hospital, where he later learnt his daughter had been moved to Osmania Hospital’s mortuary. He said the hostel staff were non-cooperative and unreachable.
Chandar alleged that a man identified as R Ramesh had previously harassed and threatened Ashwini in their native village. He said the matter was already the subject of a complaint at Jadcherla police station. Shadnagar police have registered a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which covers unnatural deaths, and are investigating.
Separately, the national president of BC Dal, Dundra Kumaraswamy, has written to the Telangana State Human Rights Commission, asking it to accept his letter as a petition or take suo motu cognisance of the incident.
He said the incident must be looked at beyond a routine suicide classification to examine possible violations of Ashwini’s right to life and dignity under Article 21. In his representation, he called for preservation of hostel CCTV footage, attendance and duty records, independent statements from students and staff, and a statewide safety audit of Gurukul hostels covering supervision, emergency response and grievance redressal.
