Daijiworld Media Network - Bagalkot (SP)

Bengaluru, Oct 9: Akshata Rayareddy (17), a first PU (science) student at Vagdevi College here, committed suicide by hanging herself at the paying guest accommodation near the college on Friday, October 7. When her roommates left for college in the morning, Akshata had stayed back, telling them that she was not feeling well. When they came back in the evening, they realised that their friend and roommate had ended her life.

In a suicide note addressed to her mother, Akshata, a native of Budhihal village in Devadurga taluk of Raichur district, confessed that she was going through the predicament for having born a female. "Girls always get commented upon for being fearful of everything and fighting among themselves. People loudly wonder how I can hope to complete MBBS degree course. I cannot live in such an atmosphere. I am fed up with myself," she confessed. It is apparent that she found it hard to cope with her classmates.

Akshata had nursed the ambition of becoming a doctor when joining the college. She, however, found it hard to study well because of the environment in which she was. "People keep ridiculing me about my ambition to become a doctor. They remark as to how can I study for it by living in an environment of fear and friction. The person whom you thought would be my well-wisher, being from our neighbouring village, too proved to be my severe critic. I cannot live the life of a rat, even if it gives me long life. I like to live like a tiger, and I don't care if my life is short," she stated. She said that in the early months, she had tried to study hard, but found the environment too hostile for her to concentrate.

Her parents who came to her room were inconsolable at the sight of her mortal remains. They were seen blaming themselves for not being able to realise that their daughter was through hell here. Hundreds of people who came there after learning about the suicide too were seen shedding tears.

While the owner of the paying guest accommodation, Veeraiah Hiremath, said that he had started this facility at the request of the college authorities, deputy commissioner, P A Meghannavar, stated that the incident would be investigated and steps would be taken to see that incidents like this do not recur.