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Lead singer Palash Sen called off Euphoria’s performance at Utkarsh 2013 on NIT campus on Sunday after electrical student Nimita Kumari (far left) committed suicide in her hostel (left) room. Pictures by Bhola Prasad
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Classes were suspended at NIT, Adityapur, on Monday to mourn the death of second-year electrical engineering student Nimita Kumari.
The 20-year-old girl — bright and jovial, according to people who knew her up close — hanged herself from a ceiling fan in her hostel room on Sunday, the last day of the cradle’s annual cultural festival Utkarsh. She did not leave behind any note explaining her death wish. Police have seized her mobile phone and laptop for investigations.
The shocker came around 8.30pm, when famed music band Euphoria had just taken centre stage and its lead singer Palash Sen had belted out Bhoola sab from the album Mehfuz. Palash, who has an album — titled Follow Your Dreams — dedicated to student suicide, decided to call off their performance.
Nimita (not Namita as reported earlier) was the only daughter of Kulpati Lal Das, a forest department official posted in Hazaribagh, and had taken active part in Utkarsh events. She had spoken to her parents in the afternoon before turning her dupatta into a noose in room No. 203 on the second floor of Ambedkar Hostel, a stone’s throw from the NIT director’s office.
College spokesperson Malay Neeraj said while classes were suspended, parents of other students were allowed to visit the hostel. “Two of her (Nimita’s) roommates — Swati Rani and Pinki Kumari — went into depression after they discovered her hanging around 8.30pm yesterday. They were treated at TMH (Tata Main Hospital). We have allowed parents to visit the girls’ hostel to help students cope with the shock,” he said.
Lokpati Das, Nimita’s uncle and local guardian who works with Tata Growth Shop in Gamharia, said the NIT authorities informed them around 8.50pm. “Her body was in the TMH morgue. We are not in a mental state to see it. She was such a jovial girl. She spoke to her mother around 3pm, but gave no hint of any depression whatsoever. We still cannot come to terms with her suicide,” Das said.
The girl’s parents have reached Adityapur, while her two brothers — who are working in Bangalore and Uttarakhand — are expected by evening. “My brother and sister-in-law are in a state of shock. They cannot speak to anyone. My nephews will visit her hostel room and speak to police once they reach,” Das added.
A faculty member of NIT, on the condition of anonymity, said Nimita was a bright student and topped her class. She was also taking part in Art of Living sessions at the cradle.
Officer-in-charge of RIT police station Rajesh Kumar Sinha said that post-mortem would be done at MGM Medical College in Dimna after her brothers reached town. “They have requested to see the body before autopsy,” Sinha said.
The family is likely to lodge a case by evening.
“We sealed the hostel room and deputed guards. We have taken possession of the student’s mobile phone and laptop. So far, we have not been able to zero in on why she killed herself. The post-mortem will be carried out under a three-member medical board and will be video-recorded,” he added.
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