Tragic Death of Medical Student Sparks Investigation

Lavanya Pratap, a 21-year-old medical student from Bihar, was found dead in her hostel in West Bengal. Preliminary investigations suggest suicide, with mental stress over academic performance noted. Police are probing potential links to previous criminal incidents at the college.

The body of Lavanya Pratap, a 21-year-old medical student from Bihar, was discovered hanging in a hostel toilet at a private medical college in West Bengal, according to police reports on Sunday.

Lavanya, originally from Patna and studying for an MBBS degree, was found on Saturday night. Authorities have since transferred her body to a hospital morgue. Early investigations point to suicide as a probable cause, with confirmation pending a post-mortem examination.

Lavanya's family has been alerted and is currently in Durgapur. Investigators are interviewing her classmates and hostel mates while looking into reports of academic stress. This tragedy follows a separate criminal incident involving a classmate allegedly gang-raped last October. Arrests of the accused have been made in connection with that case.

(With inputs from agencies.)