Thrashed over language row in local train, 19-year-old student dies by suicide in Thane

A 19-year-old student died by suicide in Maharashtra’s Thane district after a group of people allegedly assaulted him on a local train following an argument over not speaking in Marathi, police said on Thursday.

Arnav Laxman Khaire, a first-year science student, hanged himself at his apartment in Kalyan East on Tuesday evening, an official said.

“Arnav was travelling to his college in Mulund on a local train on Tuesday morning when the assault took place between Kalyan and Thane stations,” Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kalyanji Gete, said.

He said the teen’s father has alleged that Arnav asked a passenger to move a little ahead in a crowded compartment, when the latter reprimanded him for not speaking in Marathi, and the matter escalated.

“The passenger, along with his five companions, then brutally assaulted Arnav, raining punches on him. Overwhelmed by fear and nauseous from the beating, Arnav alighted at Thane station and took the next train to Mulund,” the official said.

Without attending all lectures at college, Arnav returned home early and informed his father about the assault on the phone, he said.

“Arnav informed his father about the incident on his mobile phone, and the father sensed fear and tension in his voice. On returning home from work later that evening, he found the door closed. He broke down the door with the help of neighbours, and found his son hanging with a blanket around his neck,” the official said.

The teen’s father has lodged a complaint, alleging that he committed suicide due to the mental stress caused by the beating, he said, adding that a case of accidental death has been registered and a probe is underway.