UNIVERSITY STUDENT DIED IN FALL

University student who jumped from 5th Floor .....Problem in studies?


   The female undergraduate of the Science Faculty of the University of Colombo who jumped from the 5th floor of the Botany building and was admitted to the National Hospital succumbed to her injuries. 23 year old Sashipaba Ranmali Gunawardene was a first year student of the Bio-science Faculty. She had entered the Colombo campus to follow her course of studies some time after the course had commenced. She had originally been chosen for the University of Sri Jayawardene and when pursuing studies there for some time she had been informed that she was chosen by the Colombo campus about a month ago and has had to shift there.

  This student had got the opportunity of entering the University this time after having been unsuccessful at her A/L examination on 3 occasions. She had initially followed her studies at the SJP for a few weeks and by the time she arrived at the Colombo campus, she had missed participation in the program there. She had even missed the programmes relating to its introduction. There is also the suspicion that it may have created difficulties for her to change from the Sinhala medium to the English medium.

  It is said that she had jumped down from a building in the Colombo Science Faculty where the environment is somewhat isolated. It is a Science laboratory which is to be found on the 5th floor of the Botany building from where she had jumped down. It is also said that Year One female undergraduates are usually not required to move about in that area.

  In the same way, the balcony from where she is supposed to have jumped is a place that is covered with sliding-doors preventing students from going there.It was revealed at police inquiries that at the moment she had jumped, the door of the balcony which had been closed was open and there had also been a table in the vicinity.

  Therefore it is suspected that she had gone there on purpose. As such, the possibility that she had fallen accidentally has to be ruled out. However, how she jumped has not been known to anybody. On the moment of jumping from above, she had fallen onto a flowerpot which had got smashed in the process and because of the accident, she had sustained serious injuries to the head and stomach area. The incident has taken place on 17th morning at about 9.30 and the manner of a student had fallen down and lying with great difficulty was first seen by a female student who was passing by. She had brought this to the notice of those around the area and was taken to the National Hospital where she was subjected to a number of operations.However, she had passed away unfortunately the following day morning. The doctors said that the first operation was carried out to arrest internal haemorrage of the brain and she had been admitted to the ICU Neurological unit and another operation was performed for internal haemmorrage. Dr.Cyril de Silva, Deputy Director, Colombo National Hospital said that the cause of death was internal haemorrage.

   Sashipaba Gunawardene who hailed from No.29, New Town, Lunugamvehera had come to Nugegoda area from a boarding-house where 2 other students were lodging.

   Mr.Amarasiri Gunawardene, father of deceased said at the post-mortem that though her daughter used to come home about twice a month, she had had no indication of unhappiness in her. He had come to know about the incident only when her friends told that she had slipped and fallen from a flight of steps.

   She had told her friends that though her term exams had been conducted, the examination had been difficult to her because she was unable to grasp the subject. University sources say that she had told her friends that she had been suffering from a severe headache.

   It is not clear whether the reason for committing suicide was pressure because she had not been able to grasp the subjects or whether it was some other reason.

   Further investigations are being conducted.