PU orders exam probe after suicide by student

Panjab University authorities Tuesday ordered formation of a committee to look into results and internal assessments of various examinations of a dental sciences institute after a girl student committed suicide after getting less marks.

Anukrita Tripathi was a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) student at the Dr. Harvansh Singh Judge Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital.

She was found dead in her house in Sector 32 Friday, having committed suicide after failing to clear some examinations.

Police later found a suicide note in one of her books in which she named senior faculty member Savita Prashar, an associate professor in the institute, as responsible for her death.

Prashar was booked on charges of abetment to suicide after the suicide note was found. However, no arrest has been made by police so far.

"The committee has been requested to look into the matter and give its report immediately. Dean-Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bhupinder Singh Bhoop, would head the committee," a PU spokesman said Tuesday.

The committee will have four other members.

"The committee would take stock of the actual facts by going through the results of various final examinations, re-appear examinations, internal assessments of all theory and practical examinations of students of the 2011-12 batch," the spokesman said.

Anukrita was reportedly depressed for the past few days as she had failed to clear her examinations by six marks. She blamed Prashar for giving her six marks less.

"We have got some information that the victim was failed by the faculty member in one subject and she was under depression. We are investigating the issue," said Sector 34 Station House Officer Rajesh Shukla.

Parents of other students reached the institute complex Saturday and blamed some faculty members for targeting students and deliberately failing them in various subjects, especially in practical examinations.