Tuesday, October 31, 2017

MMC student hangs himself, 2nd in 2 weeks

TNN | Oct 31, 2017, 00:06 IST


Chennai: A second year Madras Medical College student hanged himself in his hostel room on Sunday night, allegedly over depression, police said.

The suicide of M Arun Selva, the second such death of an MMC student in less than two weeks, has caused concern, with the Doctors Association for Social Equality (DASE) calling for a probe by the administration.

Police said Arun Selva, a 20-year-old native of Vandavasi in Tiruvannamalai district, refused to accompany his friends for dinner, claiming he had to make a phone call. When he returned, they found him hanging from the ceiling of the room and called police. A team arrived and sent his body for autopsy.

On Monday, a student told TOI that Arun usually kept to himself. "He would rarely talk unless spoken to. This was often mistaken for disinterest. Everyone knew he was a bright student," said the third year student.

On October 16, P Soujanya, a second year student, committed suicide, after appearing depressed for two days. Police, quoting her parents, said the 20-year-old had joined the course despite having little interest in it and even told them that she might not be able to cope up with the pressure. On October 13, she was said to have been taken to a private hospital on Greams Road with a complaint of depression.

"Soon after her suicide, the MMC management conducted counselling session for students. Since then, Arun Selva had appeared depressed," said a police officer quoting some of Arun Selva's friends.

On Monday, DASE general secretary Dr G R Ravindranath said the trend was disturbing. "The management should investigate and take necessary steps," he added.

With regard to Arun Selva's death, MMC dean Dr Narayana Babu said, police were investigating the cause. He ruled out harassment by professors to be among the reasons that pushed the student to the brink. "Some of our students complain of high stress levels. That is bound to happen in a medical college. We have several programmes and facilities on campus to help students cope, including mentorship and counselling," he said.

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