In a survey of students, Aishwarya revealed that her mental health was affected by the lack of a laptop and a proper internet connection.
Almost two months before committing suicide, 19-year-old Aishwarya Reddy, a sophomore pursuing a Bachelor of Mathematics at the esteemed Lady Shri Ram (LSR) College in Delhi, had expressed her inability to do well in her studies due to the lack of a laptop. On September 6, in a survey to understand how the pandemic affected students attending online classes, Aishwarya wrote: “They are teaching well, but I don’t have a laptop and my mobile phone is not working well, so I can’t do nothing practical paper. “The survey of” inclusive education “was conducted by student representatives, said the general secretary of the LSR student union, Unnimaya.
Aishwarya took her own life on November 2 at her residence in Shadnagar, Hyderabad.
In the survey, Aishwarya also revealed that her mental health was affected by the long hours of classes. Classes were held from 8.45am to 4.30pm, but Aishwarya’s data pack could only last three hours every day, exposing the deep digital divide that put Aishwarya in danger. His parents, his mechanic father and tailor mother, couldn’t afford to buy him a laptop or have a better Internet connection.
In addition to these problems, which students from economically poor backgrounds continue to face due to the coronavirus pandemic, on September 27, Aishwarya received a notification asking her to leave her hostel.
Aishwarya’s mother, Sunitha Reddy, said her daughter complained that she would need 30,000 rupees to move to a new place in Delhi together with her friends, as the hostel refused to provide accommodation.
In 2019, LSR implemented a policy allowing hostel accommodation for freshmen only, many students have been protesting this rule. The student organization, the Student Federation of India, which has called the death an “institutional murder,” says this structural problem of denying students accommodation violates university rules. “In the name of the inclusion and implementation of the Other Backward Caste reserve, the administration turned the hostel into an exclusive hostel for the first year, violating section 33 of the Delhi University Law,” Unnimaya said.
According to Section 33 of the University of Delhi Law, every student of the university (other than a student pursuing a correspondence course of study) must reside in a college or salon, or under such conditions as may be prescribed by the Ordinances.
Aishwarya’s mother said, “Almost every day she complained that she couldn’t afford to study due to expenses. She would say we need Rs 15,000 per month for her rent, money to buy a laptop and a smartphone. I heard her tell a neighbor that she would become a laughingstock if she dropped out of school. But we never thought it would be so bad. ”
The deceased student also received the Innovation in the Pursuit of Science for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) scholarship awarded by the Department of Science and Technology. However, due to the pandemic, the money was not disbursed.
In the suicide letter, Aishwarya said, “Please make sure I receive at least one year of INSPIRE scholarship.”
SFI has also alleged negligence on the part of the institution for failing to prevent Aishwarya’s death.
Unnimaya said they sent several letters to the principal and deputy principal to address concerns facing students amid the pandemic. However, he claimed that the requests were ignored. She said that student representatives at the university had compiled a list of students who required a laptop, a basic requirement for online education, that the administration failed to comply with.
In demanding justice for the victim, the SFI asked the administration of Lady Shri Ram College to revoke its controversial hostel policy. They also demanded that the university provide laptops and data assignments for students; without compulsory attendance; and no punitive action if students don’t meet deadlines.
The protesting students also asked the central government to disburse their scholarship, adequate compensation for the family and the formation of a committee to study the inaccessibility of education.
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