Chaitanya College Staff Arrested for Student's Suicide

According a police complaint filed by Gandikota Ramana, father of the 16-year-old Rupshree, the student had left a note on her WhatsApp page, alleging sexual harassment.

Among the arrested were the principal and the hostel warden.

One of the arrested was Nunnila Shankara Rao, a chemistry lab technician, who has been accused of inappropriate behavior towards female students.

Police investigations revealed lapses in hostel management.

The father’s complaint alleges that despite Rupshree's absence from meals and classes throughout the day on March 28, neither the warden, Vantapathy Usharani, nor the principal, Gullipally Bhanu Praveen, made any effort to contact her. The hostel rules were blatantly disregarded, the father compained.

He said rules stipulated mandatory dual wardens with floor-in-charges, but this was not implemented.

There was lack of safety grills on hostel windows. The in-and-out register for students was non-existent, the outpass procedures were ignored and there was no fire safety equipment, it was alleged.

“The CCTV cameras malfunctioned. There was unsecured access to the terrace and a failure to implement a system for tracking student attendance. There was lack of female security guards inside the hostel and male security at the main gates.”

“There was inaction” on the part of the authorities though they received calls from Rupshree's parents about her absence.

Inspector Ramakrishna of PM Palem Police Station is leading the investigations. The arrested staff members --Shankarao, Shankar Verma (management), Bhanu Praveen (principal), Usharani (warden), and her husband, Vantapathy Pradeep Kumar have been charged under various sections of the IPC, including sexual harassment, criminal intimidation, abetment to suicide and violation of the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

They have also been charged under the Prohibition of Ragging Act, 2009.