Two boys end life, fearing failure in PUC exam

Two 19-year-old boys who had returned home from their residential college for Ugadi celebrations after the pre-university examinations were found dead on railway tracks near Milk Colony at 8.30am on Wednesday. Although police initially suspected that it was an accident, there were doubts that the two had committed suicide, fearing failure in examinations.

The boys were identified as Suhas and Srinivas S. While their parents lived in Rajajinagar, both families traced their origins to Hasan district. The boys were studying at the BGS Vishwamanava Residential PU College, Kommerahalli, Sathnoor, Mandya.

The boys came to their respective homes in Rajajinagar three days ago, and celebrated Ugadi with their families. “Suhas left home on Tuesday evening, and he did not return. We did not know where he had gone. We assumed he was at a friend’s place,” said Suhas’s mother Vasantha.

The family’s landlord, who did not wish to be named, said, “Suhas had changed. He appeared tense, and he did not speak much. His mother asked if he would be preparing for the Common Entrance Test (CET) for admission to professional colleges, and he said that he did not want any more examinations.”

The landlord also mentioned that he had spotted Suhas speaking with friends secretly on a mobile phone. “I asked him to get some water, and took his mobile phone to note down numbers of people he was in touch with. That is why I had information to hand over to police,” the man said. The landlord also indicated that the two boys had been regularly in touch. “Srinivas landed at the door and asked for Suhas, but his mother did not allow him to meet her son. Although the boy did not come asking for Suhas after that, I spotted them together,” the landlord said.

Srinivas’s father BJ Shivanna, said, “Srinivas said that he would not return at night since he was going to stay over at a friend’s place. I am shocked that he should have taken such an extreme step.” Shivanna is an employee of a private firm in Electronics City.

Police said that the preliminary post-mortem report indicated that the boys died on Tuesday midnight. The incident only came to light on Wednesday, at 8.30 am. The bodies were handed over to the family after the post-mortem examination at Victoria Hospital. A case of unnatural death has been registered at the City Railway police station.