Bihar engineering student dies after jumping from hostel's 3rd floor

PATNA: A student at Chandi Engineering College in Nalanda district died allegedly after jumping from the third floor of her hostel in the Hilsa police station area late Wednesday night. The reason behind the suspected suicide is still unknown. The deceased, Sonam Kumari (19), was a civil engineering student from Munger. According to the students, the principal failed to arrange for transportation to the hospital after the incident, leading to widespread protests. The students set fire to four cars and a scooter on campus and vandalized the principal's residence. The police have been deployed in large numbers, and students are vacating the hostel due to threats of action.The students claimed that the principal is responsible for Sonam's death and that they were asked to vacate the campus due to a government order. The unrest continued till early 4.30am on Thursday, resulting in damage worth around over a crore. Force from over 12 police stations has been deployed to the scene.Sonam's roommate, Shikha, recounted, “Sonam had declined dinner, saying she had already eaten snacks. When I returned to our room, Sonam was missing, and her laptop was still on. Upon searching, I found Sonam's body lying on the ground below the hostel.”Hilsa SDO, Amit Kumar Patel said that the students believe that if a vehicle had been provided in time, Sonam's life could have been saved. They are angered over the poor arrangement of medical facilities in the hostel campus.The police arrived after the unrest began, and the Hilsa SDPO and local police are investigating the matter. After the post-mortem, Sonam's family took her body back to their native village in Munger. The family members are refraining from commenting on the incident.“Prima facie, the incident appears to be a suicide. An unnatural death (UD) case is being registered on the statements of the hostel administration. The police will investigate further at other angles if the family files a separate complaint”, the SDO added.