News, Hyderabad: In a tragic incident, a first-year student was found hanging in his hostel room early this morning at the Hyderabad Central University, where Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula had killed himself in January this year.

The police said they suspect Praveen Nalli, a Master of Fine Arts student, committed suicide. No suicide note has however been found in initial searches at the hostel, they said.

Praveen was found hanging in his hostel room number 204 by other students, who alerted the Resident Medical Officer or RMO of the campus at around 4 am. He was still alive then, the police said, and was rushed to a hospital nearby, but died on the way.

Praveen is from Shadnagar in Mahbubnagar district of Telangana about 50 km away from Hyderabad. His father is an employee with the public sector BSNL.

Praveen’s brother N Naveen said that Praveen did not discuss any problems with him when he last spoke Thursday evening. “We have no financial problems. We talked Thursday and he was normal. He did not discuss or tell me anything about what was in his mind,’’ Naveen said.

Praveen had joined the university only in July this year.  “The reasons behind Praveen’s death are not yet known,” said a police officer.

Cops recovered two notebooks, one laptop, two cellphones from among his possessions. In one of the notebooks, on September 9, Praveen wrote about his state of mind. “Why am I unable to study well? Why am I so scared of everything? Why am I unable to mingle with anyone? When I went to the department today morning, one student came and greeted me but I could not acknowledge properly, why am I like this? I have to study well and do something otherwise there is no meaning to my life. Why am I always unhappy? Why do I have this feeling that I am a lonely person?’’ Praveen wrote.