Father of Ph.D. student, who committed suicide in Delhi campus, says it was a mistake to send his daughter to IIT, should have saved money for dowry

Manjula Devak was found hanging from a ceiling fan in her room at 7:38 pm in Nalanda Apartments in the IIT-Delhi campus on Tuesday.

New Delhi: Awaiting his daughter's body outside a hospital's mortuary, the father of Manjula Devak, who committed suicide under mysterious circumstances in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi campus on Tuesday, said on Wednesday that it was a mistake to educate her.

Manjula was found hanging from a ceiling fan in her room at 7:38 pm in Nalanda Apartments in the IIT campus on Tuesday.

Manjula Devak, a Ph.D. student in water resources, had tied the knot with Ritesh Virha in 2013, but the couple had been living separately for more than a year now.

While no suicide note was found from the flat, Manjula's family alleged that her in-laws were not in favour of her pursuing higher studies. They also accused her in-laws, who reside in Bhopal, of demanding Rs 20-25 lakh dowry. However, they are not sure what led the 27-year-old to end her life.

Talking to Hindustan Times on Wednesday, the father said: “It was a mistake to educate my daughter and send her to IIT. I should have saved all the money for her dowry.”

“We got our daughter married early because their horoscopes had matched perfectly,” HT quoted her father as saying.

Manjula’s mother Seema alleged that Ritesh was forcing her daughter to leave her studies and begin a business with him.

“After quitting jobs in Delhi and Mumbai, Ritesh stayed with her at the campus apartment for about a year,” Seema told the daily.

“He was troubling Manjula to get around Rs 20-25 lakh to start his business. I asked my daughter if she wanted a divorce but she was worried about the family’s reputation,” she added.

Manjula, a civil engineer, had earlier worked in the US but returned to join IIT Delhi in 2011.

Her family members have recorded their statement in front of a sub-divisional magistrate.

Manjula's friends have also recorded their statement in front of the SDM.

Police have seized her laptop and are scanning her calls detail records.