Student from Hyderabad hangs self at US university

A 23-year-old Telugu student from the city, Shiva Karan, committed suicide at the North Carolina State University on Thursday.

Shiva, who was pursuing a master’s programme at the university in Raleigh (North Carolina), was found hanging in his hostel room. An alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, Shiva went to the US six months ago to pursue MSc in Computer Science.

Although the exact reason behind his death is yet to be ascertained by the local police, Shiva Prasad, the student’s maternal uncle, told the media at his house in Ramanthapur on Friday that his nephew “in the last exams, got less grades which may have forced him to take such a drastic step.” Shiva’s parents were in shock.

On Friday morning, the Telugu Association of North America (TANA) informed the family members about Shiva’s death. “We are still trying to learn more about what may have happened in Siva Karan’s case. Our volunteers in North Carolina will provide any necessary logistical support,” V Chowdary Jampala, president of TANA, told TOI in response to a mail.

Shiva pursued electrical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IIT-H). He was good in academics, and also active in co-curricular activities. He was the cultural secretary at the IIT-H student gymkhana in 2012-2013. Being passionate about photography, he had also joined the IIT-H Photography Club. According to his relatives, Shiva had apparently rejected several job offers to go to the US for further studies.

The family has appealed to the state and the Central government to help bring his body home. Shiva Kumar’s father is an employee in the health department of the government of Telangana, while his brother Shashidhar is pursuing CA. The family hails from Medak district and moved to the city 20 years ago.