Three weeks after his daughter, a student of the National Institute of Fashion Technology died by suicide in Bhubaneswar, a Delhi man is still searching for answers. The distraught father has alleged the 22-year-old had said in her suicide note that she was drugged and sexually harassed at a party.
The 4th-year NIFT student (names withheld) was found dead at her rented accommodation in Bhubaneswar, which she shared with some other students of the college. She was found hanging from a ceiling fan by her neighbour, a fellow NIFT student, and her mother, who broke down the door after she did not respond when they rang the doorbell or called her on her phone repeatedly.
The student's father has said the police registered a case of abetment to suicide only on May 4, after he flew down to Bhubaneswar. He has also filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission.
He alleged that, in her suicide note, his daughter had said she was drugged and sexually harassed at a party by a man, which had made her turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with the traumatic incident. She had also written that she felt out of place in the fashion world and was unable to deal with the pressure.
Her flatmates said they did not know about any such incident but said she had been under stress, which they had chalked up to the anxiety of getting placements.
The institute's authorities refused to comment, but sources said a committee has been formed to probe the reasons behind her death.
"NIFT allows no parties inside the campus in which alcohol is served. We don't know what happened outside the campus," said a source.
"I cannot bring back my daughter, but I want to ensure that she gets justice. I want to make sure nothing like this ever happens to any student studying in NIFT," he added.
