Bengaluru architecture student dies by suicide, alleges ragging in final video

Before taking the extreme step, the student recorded a video blaming his peers and expressing emotional distress over being spoken about behind his back.

A 22-year-old architecture student from a private engineering college in Bengaluru died by suicide last week, allegedly due to ragging.

The incident occurred on July 11 in Nandaramayyana Palya.(Representative/Shutterstock)

Before taking the extreme step, the student, identified as Arun, recorded a video blaming his peers and expressing emotional distress over being spoken about behind his back.

According to a report by The New Indian Express, the incident occurred on July 11 at Arun’s residence in Nandaramayyana Palya, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Madanayakanahalli police station in Nelamangala, on the city’s outskirts.

Police said they have registered an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) and are awaiting a formal complaint from the student’s family. “We will file an FIR once they file a complaint,” a police officer said according to the publication.

A native of Hassan, Arun was a final-year architecture student who had secured a free seat at his college owing to his academic performance. His parents, daily-wage labourers, had struggled financially to support his education. Arun was also known to be a talented portrait artist.

According to investigators, the incident happened after Arun’s parents had left for work. He recorded a video message detailing his anguish, mentioning that friends had been speaking ill of him behind his back. The video, which he shared in a college WhatsApp group, went viral.

After the video began circulating, college officials contacted Arun’s parents, who rushed back home, only to find him hanging, police said.

The case has raised serious concerns over campus bullying and the mental health impact of ragging. Authorities are expected to take further action once the family lodges a formal complaint.

Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-23389090 from Sumaitri (Delhi-based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based).