Ashalata’s cousin Kundan waits to collect her body outside the hospital. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 24: Chandrasekharpur police today recovered the body of a 20-year-old engineering student who allegedly committed suicide by hanging from the ceiling of her hostel room.

The police said Ashalata Patra took the extreme step after failing in love. However, her family members and college authorities refused to confirm the police theory.

Ashalata was a fifth-semester computer science student of Koustuv Institute of Self Domain, a girls’ engineering college. She hailed from Berhampur. Hostel warden Mamata Das said she came to know about the incident this morning, when the girl’s room was found locked from inside for a long time.

“We looked through the skylight and found her hanging from the ceiling with her dupatta. We informed the police, who took the body to the hospital,” said the warden, adding that two of Ashalata’s roommates had gone home and she was alone in the room.

Ashalata’s cousin, Kundan, who was also her local guardian, said he did not have any clue why Ashalata committed suicide.

“I was her local guardian, but I have no idea why she would commit suicide. She was not the suicidal type,” said Kundan.

Kundan said the deceased was the youngest among the four daughters of her father, an employee of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in Berhampur.

“Her friends did not say anything about the incident. The police have taken possession of her mobile phone. It might provide some clues,” said Kundan.

Even the hostel warden could not cite any reason behind Ashalata’s death. The hostel has around 1,200 students. There are at least 200 students in the block where Ashalata used to stay.

The police have even seized the dupatta of the deceased. However, they did not find any suicide note from the spot. “After going through the mobile call details and messages, it is clear that it was the fallout of a failed love affair. We are probing further,” said a police officer.

The body of the girl was handed over to her family members after post-mortem. The police have registered a case of unnatural death.