‘Why be a doctor with this face?’: Bengaluru dental student dies by suicide; kin accuse 6 lecturers of harassment over skin-colour

BENGALURU: Days after 23-year-old dental student Yashaswini B was found hanging in her bedroom, her mother has accused six of her daughter’s lecturers of abetment to suicide.

Based on her complaint, Suryanagar police in Bengaluru Rural district have registered a zero FIR, which has been transferred to Bommanahalli police.


Initially, police had registered a case of unnatural death, following a complaint filed by Yashaswini’s mother, G Pramila. However, on Sunday, she submitted a fresh complaint, alleging sustained harassment by a group of lecturers at Oxford Dental College on Hosur Road, leading to the registration of a new case.

Based on Pramila’s complaint, police have booked the accused under BNS Section 108 (abetment to suicide). The FIR names lecturers Dr Anmol, Dr Alba, Dr Shabana, Dr Faika, Dr Sindhu, and Dr Sushmini.

Yashaswini had left behind a suicide note, stating that she alone was responsible for her death and no one else was to be blamed. The note was sent to the FSL to determine whether the handwriting was hers.

Despite the contents of the note, Pramila insisted that her daughter had been subjected to continuous harassment and humiliation by the lecturers over the past year. She claimed Yashaswini was frequently reprimanded for arriving a few minutes late to class and was allegedly targeted over her dressing style.

According to the complaint, when Yashaswini did not respond to these remarks, the lecturers allegedly awarded her lower marks in seminars. Pramila said her daughter repeatedly confided in her about the distress and insults she faced at college.

Pramila further stated that a day before her death on Jan 8, Yashaswini suffered from eye pain and skipped classes. When she returned to college, she was allegedly insulted in front of her classmates. The lecturers allegedly even questioned her about the medicines she had taken.

The complaint also alleges that the lecturers made remarks about Yashaswini’s skin colour and questioned her suitability to become a doctor, asking why she wanted to pursue the profession “with this face”.