Kasaragod: A week after Ambili P P, 24, a third-year MBBS student, took her own life at Ernakulam Medical College, her family from Kasaragod has levelled heart-wrenching allegations of physical and mental harassment by her three hostel roommates.

In a complaint filed with Kalamassery police on Sunday, April 13, Ambili's mother Geetha P P named one roommate and the warden — a dermatology department teacher — for tormenting her daughter, a first-rank holder in her first year.

Ambili, from Thadiyan Kovval near Udinur in Padna grama panchayat, was found dead in her hostel room on the night of April 5. "Ambili recently showed a roommate's photograph to her aunt and said she ruined her life," said Anil P P, her maternal uncle. The family didn't realise Ambili was on the brink.

Geetha said she was informed that Ambili died by suicide at 11 pm on April 5. Yet, her WhatsApp showed she had 'Last Seen' the app at 2.12 am.

The discrepancy in the timeline raises serious doubts and demands a thorough investigation, she wrote in her complaint, which was forwarded to the Chief Minister and State Police Chief.

Kalamassery police, which registered a case of unnatural death, said they would record the family’s statements in the coming days.

Her father, a waiter scraping by in small village eateries, and her mother, a small-time tailor who poured her earnings into Ambili’s education, have not yet recovered from the loss. They have a younger daughter awaiting her Class 12 results.

Ambili knew education was her path to success and a way to lift her family from poverty. She worked tirelessly for it. "Ambili would drink a bottle of water before bed to wake up at night and study," said Ramachandran P P, Geetha’s uncle, who retired as ministerial staff from the Kerala Water Authority in 2008.

After Class 12, Ambili qualified only for an Ayurveda course in her first entrance attempt. Under family pressure, she joined the Government Ayurveda College in Thiruvananthapuram. But, secretly, she prepared for MBBS without telling her family, said Ramachandran. After a year and a half, she cleared the entrance. "She came home from Thiruvananthapuram only after securing admission to Ernakulam Medical College," he said.

She could have joined Pariyaram Medical College, closer to home. "But she insisted on staying in the hostel," he said.

However, life at Ernakulam Medical College’s hostel allegedly turned torturous for her. Ambili shared her room with three students from affluent families, said Ramachandran. "Two of them routinely mocked and harassed her. The third occasionally joined in. She called home often, sharing everything with Geetha," said Ramachandran.

The harassment grew cruel. Once, a roommate planted a fake suicide note in Ambili’s bag, sparking trouble. "Ambili said it wasn't her handwriting," he said. Another time, the roommates hid their makeup kit in her bag and accused her of theft. "When the warden found it, Ambili was warned and moved to a room where she was alone, but the culprits faced no consequences," he said.

Geetha told police that the warden never stood up against their bullying. She alleged the warden threatened to ruin Ambili’s MBBS education if she spoke out, warning that complaints could affect her internal marks.

The pressure took its toll. Ambili, who soared in her first year, failed anatomy in her second year. "She failed because of internal marks," said Ramachandran. The course's demands, combined with the hostile hostel environment, drove her to seek help from the college's in-house psychiatrist, he said.

Geetha once offered to move to Kochi, take a tailoring job, and rent a place for Ambili to escape the hostel. But Ambili refused. "She said she earned the hostel room through hard work and wouldn’t leave out of fear," Ramachandran said. "She was gutsy. But their bullying killed her," Ramachandran said, his voice heavy with the family’s anguish.