Maharani College student’s suicide:‘Probe foul play angle’, father to cops

Jaipur: The death by suicide of 18-year-old Sarika Bunkar, a first-year BA student at Maharani College, has left her family in deep shock. Bunkar was found hanging in her room at Mahi Hostel, situated on the premises of Rajasthan University, on Saturday, leading police to launch an investigation.

Expressing disbelief over her alleged suicide, her father, Mohan Lal Bunkar, said he visited her on Jan 28 and spoke to her over phone hours before the incident. "She sounded cheerful as always. I didn't sense any stress in her voice," he told TOI Sunday after the girl's body was handed over to family members after post-mortem.

Bunkar said he requested police to not rule out foul play. "We believe there are inconsistencies in how we were told she was found hanging. Given the way the noose was tied around her neck and other surrounding circumstances, we believe the police should not rule out foul play. The stole she was found hanging with didn't belong to her," he said.

Police officials took Sarika's mobile phone and said they were analysing her call detail records (CDR). An officer involved in the investigation said the last message on her phone was from her cousin, who asked if Sarika had been scolded by her parents. "We are trying to decipher the context of this message," the officer said.

A resident of Dudu village near Manoharpura in Kotputli district, Sarika's father is a flooring and tiling worker. She was the oldest of his six children, who include four sisters and a brother.

"She studied at a govt school in our village and secured 74% marks in her Class 12 board exams. Her hard work earned her admission to the prestigious Maharani College," he said.

Sarika stayed in the college hostel from Nov 2024 and aspired to become an IAS officer. "Despite having limited resources in our village, she was one of the brightest students, and we always had faith in her potential," the father said. "We spoke at least twice daily. I still cannot believe she would take such a drastic step."