Kasaragod: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India’s top rights watchdog, has sought a report from the Kerala government on the death of Chaithanya Kumari, a nursing student in Kasaragod.

In a statement issued on Thursday, NHRC, led by retired Supreme Court Justice V Ramasubramanian, said it had sent notices to Kerala's Chief Secretary and State Police Chief, directing them to submit a report on the student's suicide.

The commission took cognisance of a media report stating that Chaithanya, a third-year nursing student, died on March 22 after being in a coma for three months. She attempted suicide on December 7 in her hostel room at Manzoor Hospital & School of Nursing in Kanhangad. Her suicide attempt had sparked violent protests by fellow students and parents, who accused the institution of workplace harassment and enforcing "prison-like conditions" in the school and hostel.

The students alleged they were forced to stay in the on-campus hostel, denied food if they missed dining hours, allowed mobile phone use for only two hours a week (on Sundays), and could step out only for two hours on weekends, accompanied by relatives.

"The commission has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of the victim’s human rights," the NHRC statement said. "According to the report, students alleged that the deceased was subjected to mental harassment by the hostel warden, even when she was unwell," it said.
Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan and State Police Chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb have been directed to submit their report within four weeks, that is by April 24.