In a recent incident from a Telangana-based medical college, a woman medical student allegedly took her life after facing harassment from a male senior. Reportedly, the woman’s senior had harassed her in public and on the internet which led to the student taking the drastic step.

Workplace harassment is a serious issue in the world as it not only discourages women from taking up job roles but also affects the mental health of the survivors adversely. Working women constantly live in the fear of being judged for their every single move and they don’t know what actions of their might trigger the people around them into bullying and harassing them.

A similar case of workplace harassment has been reported from Telangana where a female medical student got so discouraged by a male senior’s harassment that she ended her own life.

Suggested Reading: Sexual Harassment At Workplace: Women Caught Between Safety And Success

Woman Medical Student Harassed By Senior

A first-year postgraduate medical student Preethi recently passed away after she took her own life. Reportedly, Preeti took the step due to the alleged constant bullying of a male second-year postgraduate student named Saif from the anaesthesia department.

The senior was allegedly harassing and belittled her in public and on the internet for quite some time now which led to Preethi taking this drastic step on February 22. The police arrested the accused on Friday and are investigating the matter.

In many cases of workplace harassment, authorities take a long time in taking action. They neglect the pleas and harassment complaints of female students and workers or try to brush them off with simple lenient warnings. It is as if they wait for something drastic to happen in order to take drastic and strict actions. However, when things go massively wrong, they get reminded of reworking their rules and regulations. But that too doesn’t last long as such rules are hard to sustain.

Preethi’s parents have accused the college authorities of not taking action even after being informed of Saif’s behaviour. The Telangana government too has ordered to conduct enquiry into the matter and take necessary actions. However, instead of dealing with the issue when something big happens, it is better to necessary precautions beforehand as it is a woman’s right to safely and comfortably work and study.

Meanwhile, many students are protesting that the accused medical senior Saif is innocent and Preethi’s family is attempting to file a false case against him. The authorities have ensured that they will look into the matter with an unbiased view.