Akshita, a second-year BA LLB student from Mathura, was found in her hostel room at the university’s Malhaur campus. The incident came to light around 8:20 a.m. when her roommate, Alisha Khan, knocked on the door but received no response. The door was subsequently unlocked by Assistant Warden Deepti Mishra and a security guard, who discovered Akshita hanging from the ceiling fan.
Uttar Pradesh: A 20-year-old law student from Amity University’s Lucknow campus, identified as Akshita Upadhyay, tragically died by suicide on Friday, leaving behind a note apologizing to her parents.
Akshita, a second-year BA LLB student from Mathura, was found in her hostel room at the university’s Malhaur campus. The incident came to light around 8:20 a.m. when her roommate, Alisha Khan, knocked on the door but received no response. The door was subsequently unlocked by Assistant Warden Deepti Mishra and a security guard, who discovered Akshita hanging from the ceiling fan.
READ ALSO: [NLU Delhi Student Suicides] ‘Adequate Steps Taken’: HC Closes Plea for Independent Probe
A suicide note recovered at the scene read, “Sorry Mom Dad, I am not a good daughter.”
DCP East Zone Shashank Singh confirmed the incident, stating, “Akshita died by suicide by hanging herself in her room. The body has been sent for post-mortem, and further investigation is underway. The family has been informed.”
In other case, Sushant Rohilla, a third-year law student at Amity, died by suicide on August 10, 2016, at his home in Delhi after the college allegedly barred him from taking his semester exams due to not meeting the required attendance. He left a note stating that he felt like a failure and no longer wanted to live.
The petition, initially taken up by the Supreme Court in 2016, was transferred to the Delhi High Court in 2017. Counsel for Amity Law School maintained that the institution was not at fault, arguing that the suicide note did not blame anyone from the college.
However, the court suggested that an ex-gratia payment to the family would help “bring a closure” to some of the unresolved issues.
“Institutions should have a broader thinking. Nobody is saying one individual is responsible for this. There has been a systemic failure, for whatever reasons. If there is a systemic failure in the institution, you have to take responsibility. Your shoulders have to be broad enough to take responsibility,”
-remarked Justice Singh.
Recently, a similar incident happened in NLU Delhi, which caught attention following the tragic suicides of three students within a month in September. Aditya Singh Tomar filed the plea in response, urging the Court to mandate the University to adopt mental health policies that align with national guidelines and University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations.
The petition called for the establishment of 24/7 mental health counseling services, peer support networks, and regular mental health assessments for students. It also sought to hold the university administration accountable for any deficiencies and requested appropriate compensation for the families of the deceased students.
The Delhi High Court dismissed a petition calling for an independent inquiry committee to investigate the factors behind student suicides at National Law University (NLU) Delhi.
Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur noted that the University has taken sufficient measures for now.
The Bench stated,
“Having considered the above, we are of the opinion that adequate steps have been taken by the respondent no. 2 (NLU Delhi) for the present. We do not, therefore, deem it appropriate to issue further directions in this petition at this stage.”
