Hills mourn Darj student's death in Madhya Pradesh

REZA PRADHAN, SNS, DARJEELING. 13 APRIL 2022 : The problems of the family of 29-year-old Priyadarshani Chettri, who was found dead in Madhya Pradesh, has increased manifold, with them not being able to see her body anytime soon, especially because the important Bagdogra Airport is closed for runway repairs.

According her family members, the police in Jabalpur yesterday evening informed them of Chhetri's death over the phone and said that it was suicide.

Family members, however, said it was hard to believe that such a jolly girl had committed suicide. They also demanded proper investigations into the matter.

As the entire Hills, along with Chhetris village of Shanti Parvat in Singamari near Darjeeling town, grieved the demise, Priyanka Chettri, her sister, said, "We received the message of her death yesterday evening, after which my father, along with three others, left immediately for Jabalpur, where she was studying. They have gone to receive her body, but with Bagdogra Airport closed, they have not yet reached there. We want her body to be brought here as soon as possible so that her last rites can be performed. We appeal to the administration, along with our leaders, to provide whatever help they can for it."

According to her family members, Priyadarshani had been in Jabalpur district in Madhya Pradesh for the past five years, studying in the Tropical Forest Research Institute, and was to come back home after finishing her studies this year. They also maintained that her marriage had also been fixed this year.

"It does not seem right that she committed suicide as she was not that type of a person at all.

She was a very jolly and happy kind of person, with us chatting with each other almost every day in our mobile phones. In fact, the day before we got the message of her death, I was chatting with her up till around nine at night. She had told me she was alright.

"However, in the morning when I sent a message to her, with photos of my daughter, on her mobile, she did not receive it," said her elder sister, maintaining that all this proved that Priyadarshani had not committed suicide.

Other family members and neighbours were also of the opinion that there were no signs of depression in her that may have led her to take such a drastic step.

A relative of Priyadarshani, Priyanka Rai, said, "We cannot believe that she could do such a thing, as she was a very jolly person. Instead, when I was facing depression, she was one of the persons that helped me get out of it.

She was also going to get married this year, which had given her one more reason to be happier."

According to sources, Darjeelings MP Raju Bista has \written a letter to the Madhya Pradesh Minister for Home Affairs, demanding impartial and proper investigations into the death.

However, the main concern at present for the family and the neighbours remains bringing her body back home.

"We appeal to the leaders, especially our Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, to help bring her body back as soon as possible," said Kashi Nath Chettri, a neighbour.