KURNOOL: Harsha Praneeth Reddy, 18, a first year student at the Kurnool Medical College (KMC) and resident of Aravindnagar in Kadapa, committed suicide by hanging himself in his room in the college hostel on Thursday.

His father Komma Raman-julu Reddy, 50, alleged that Harsha committed suicide due to ragging, though police said investigations were in progress to establish the cause.





“Harsha was a brilliant student and was not so weak as to take his own life,” he said, adding that his son had been complaining of ragging ever since he joined the college.

College prinicpal Dr K. Ram Prasad alleged that Harsha was not able to cope with the pressure of studies, and his exams were due in four days. “Generally ragging complaints are heard from freshers at the beginning of the academic year. As the year ends, with exams set to commence from July 10, seniors and juniors are engrossed in studies. The possibility of ragging simply does not arise,” the principal said.