[Hindu] Engineering student hangs himself

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Parents suspect ragging to be the reason for son's death

HYDERABAD: Engineering student S.P. Manoj, 17, hanged himself in his private hostel room here at Langer Houz on Thursday.

While the victim's family members suspect that ragging could have driven Manoj to suicide, the Langer Houz police said they were yet to begin investigation on this angle. Manoj's father, S.P. George Varaprasad, and brother-in-law Vijay Kumar started from Palvancha in Khammam district to the city on learning about his death.

Speaking to the The Hindu over phone, Mr Vijay Kumar said he and the victim's parents strongly believed that ragging led to Manoj's death. Mr Varaprasad rang up Manoj on Wednesday but got worried, as the latter sounded tense and wept.

"My son said he was worried about ragging but could not give much details," Kumar quoted the victim's father as saying. A first year B.Tech. student of Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Technology at Narsingi on the city's fringes, the victim was living in Anupama hostel in Langer Houz.

Manoj did not attend college on Thursday, and in the evening his roommates found his body hanging from the ceiling.