A 19-year-old college student from Kalyan East, Maharashtra, has died by suicide following an alleged assault over a Hindi-Marathi language dispute during his daily train commute. The deceased, Arnav Jitendra Khaire, was a first-year science student at Kelkar College in Mulund.
Victim’s Father Explains the Alleged Incident
Arnav’s father, Jitendra Khaire, told police that the student was attacked by four to five men on the Ambernath–Kalyan local train. “He was pushed in the train, which led to an argument over speaking Hindi versus Marathi. He could not handle the pressure and simply said, ‘Thoda aage chalo na,’ after which the other passengers started questioning him about why he was not speaking in Marathi,” Jitendra explained.
After the incident, Arnav reportedly left the train at Thane station to avoid further confrontation and later returned home early from college. His father added that his son expressed extreme anxiety and fear during a conversation that afternoon. “He told me that he was feeling very uneasy and anxious,” Jitendra said.
Tragically, when Jitendra returned from work in the evening, he found the apartment door locked. With neighbours’ assistance, he entered and discovered Arnav hanging from a dupatta. The student was immediately taken to Rukminibai Hospital, where he was declared dead at 9:05 pm.
FIR Lodged
Following the incident, Jitendra lodged a complaint at Kalyan East’s Kolsewadi Police Station. He claimed that the mental stress caused by the assault prompted Arnav to take his own life. “He took the drastic step due to fear and psychological stress caused by the assault over the language dispute,” he said, demanding a full investigation.
Kolsewadi Police have registered an accidental death report and launched an inquiry. Railway authorities have been alerted, and efforts are underway to obtain CCTV footage and track down the alleged assailants. Local residents have called for an independent probe into the assault during the train journey.
The tragic death has reignited discussions in Maharashtra regarding rising tensions between Hindi and Marathi speakers and the mental toll such incidents can have on students.
