Young aerospace engineer from Karnataka dies after fall at Punjab college, family demands probe

Akanksha (22), an aerospace engineer from Karnataka, died after falling from the fourth floor of LPU in Punjab. Her family suspects foul play and has demanded a thorough investigation into her ‘unnatural’ death.

Dakshina Kannada: Akanksha (22), a young aerospace engineer from Boliyar village in Dharmasthala’s Belthangady taluk, died on Saturday after falling from the fourth floor of a college building in Punjab. The incident occurred at Lovely Professional University (LPU), Phagwara, where she had gone to collect her academic certificates.

Akanksha, daughter of Surendran and Sindhudevi, was employed with Jet Airways in Delhi for the past six months after completing her studies at LPU. She had aspirations to work abroad and had returned to the college last week to collect her documents.

According to her family, Akanksha first visited the college on Friday but was asked to return the next day. On Saturday morning, she reached the campus again and messaged her mother at 11:45 am to inform her that she was at the college. Hours later, at around 4:30 pm, the family received a call from Punjab police informing them of her death.

Initial confusion over police call

The family initially suspected the call to be a scam but realised it was genuine after the caller identified themselves as police personnel and shared further details about Akanksha. Shocked by the news, her father, mother, brother Akash Nayar, aunt, and two other family members immediately travelled to Punjab. They reached the Civil Government Hospital in Phagwara, Jalandhar district, on Sunday night. A formal complaint has been lodged by her brother at the Jalandhar police station. The post-mortem is scheduled for Monday, following which her funeral will be held in Boliyar, Dharmasthala.

Family raises suspicions, rules out suicide

Akanksha’s family has raised serious concerns regarding the circumstances of her death, especially since she was reportedly in good spirits on the day of the incident. Known for her cheerful and ambitious nature, she had shared no signs of distress with her family. Her grandmother, Saraswati, and aunt, Chandraprabha, insisted that she was not someone who would take her own life. Her parents, who had taken out loans to fund her education, are devastated.

Her father, Surendran, has written to the President of India, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, and other authorities demanding a thorough investigation into her “unnatural” death. The family is seeking justice and accountability.

“She called us from the college around 11 am on Saturday. After that, we couldn’t reach her. In the evening, we were informed about her death by the police. We need answers,” said her aunt.

The police have yet to issue a detailed statement on the incident.