Himachal engineering trainee hangs self, blames girl for 'forcing' him into sex

An engineering trainee in Himachal Pradesh died by suicide on Friday night in his college hostel room after a girl student allegedly harassed him and forced him to have a physical relationship with her, police said.

The student, 20, identified as Arpit from Hamirpur district, who was a trainee at Jawaharlal Nehru Government Engineering College in Sundernagar, was found hanging in his room on Saturday morning.

Police recovered a suicide note from his pocket in which he accused a fellow student, Lavanya, of harassing and mentally torturing him. Based on the note, the police have arrested her.

DSP Sundernagar Bharat Bhushan said that the case is under investigation. The forensic team has collected evidence from the scene, and police have also secured CCTV footage from the hostel for further examination.

According to Arpit's mother, who has filed a separate complaint with the police, Lavanya used to blackmail and pressure her son. She alleged that Lavanya forced Arpit into a physical relationship and that her son had shared this with her before his death.

The mother also raised concerns about the college management's response when Arpit had chickenpox earlier in May. She claimed that instead of helping, the college asked him to leave the hostel, forcing him to stay at a government rest house in Sundernagar from May 4 to 8, where she had to join him to take his care.

Police have taken the accused girl into custody and she will remain on remand until Monday. Officials said that the investigation is ongoing, and the allegations made by the victim's family are also being examined seriously.

(With inputs from Dharam Veer.)