A routine Saturday morning at Marwadi University in Rajkot turned into a tragedy when 19-year-old Sobarnika Venkatesh Alla, a second-year engineering student from Andhra Pradesh, died after falling from the 10th floor of her hostel building.
The incident took place at around 10.30 am in the ‘A’ wing of the girls’ hostel on the university campus. Students, wardens and other campus staff rushed to the spot after hearing the impact.
The university’s emergency team responded immediately. According to Head of the Department of Computer Engineering Dr Kunal Vaghela, one of the university’s two ambulances was used to take Sobarnika to hospital. She was later declared dead.
Sobarnika, who was from Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, was pursuing a BTech in Computer Science and Engineering, specialising in Artificial Intelligence. She was in her second year, with one university official saying she had been studying at Marwadi University for about a year.
Police examine phone records as questions remain unanswered
The circumstances immediately before the fall are now part of the police investigation.
According to DCP Zone 1 Hetal Patel, Sobarnika’s roommate told police that she had been shouting at somebody over the phone before suddenly jumping. Police are now seeking to establish what happened during that conversation.
Investigators have not found a suicide note in her room so far. They are examining her phone and call-detail records and recording statements from hostel residents and classmates.
The university’s account also indicates that students had seen Sobarnika talking on the phone shortly before the incident. She reportedly ran into the hostel lobby before falling from the building.
At this stage, police have not established the reason behind her death. The possibility of suicide is being examined as part of the inquiry, but the circumstances remain under investigation.
A postmortem examination was initiated, while police continued collecting information from people who were present on the campus.
Family informed as university community reels from the death
Sobarnika’s parents in Andhra Pradesh were informed about the incident. Her cousin, who was in Rajkot at the time, was also notified.
Dr Vaghela confirmed that the family had been informed, while University Deputy Registrar Varghese Nidheesh said emergency assistance was sought immediately after the incident.
The university, located on the Rajkot-Morbi Road, has described itself as a major private university in the Saurashtra region and has been designated a Centre of Excellence by the Gujarat government.
For now, investigators are trying to piece together Sobarnika’s final moments through phone records, witness statements and the postmortem report. The reason behind the fall has not yet been established.
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