Uproar among student unions as 19-yr-old DU student kills self citing financial issues

new delhi: Student organisations in Delhi have started protesting the death of a Delhi University student, who died of suicide due to the financial difficulties.

Aishwarya Reddy, 19, a student of Delhi's Lady Shri Ram college (LSR) died by suicide at her home in Telangana, calling herself a "burden to her family" in a note as her parents struggled to provide her with laptop for her online

classes.

The Student Federation of India and other organisations on Monday protested in front of the Department of Science and Technology to demand Justice for Aishwarya.

In a virtual press conference Reddy's mother had said that their daughter was asked to vacate her hostel, according to the hostel policy, while she was also struggling with online classes and had requested for a new laptop. "Aishwerya asked us for Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 so she could vacate the hostel, get her stuff and find a new place as she had to vacate the hostel. But we were already not getting any income and we could manage any money. This created a lot of stress for Aishwerya," her mother Sumathi Reddy said.

Aishwerya was a state topper and had scored 98.5 per cent in Class 12. She was also selected for the Inspire Scholarship Scheme by the Ministry of Science and Technology. "After March, when the students and their parents had to face a terrible financial crisis, the ministry withheld the scholarship amount," a statement by SFI said.

Calling it an "institutionalised murder" the student organizations have asked for the resignation of Union Ministry of Science and Technology Dr. Harshvardhan.

Meanwhile, Aishwerya's mother has requested financial help from the university or the government as they don't want their younger daughter to suffer the same way. "My daughter was the pride of the village as no one from the village had gone to Delhi to study," her mother said.

Speaking on the same, Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president Aishe said that the government hasn't released scholarships for students since the lockdown. "Aishwarya committed suicide precisely due to the financial strain this posed. This government has her blood on their hands," she added.