This is a Hyderabadi student in my University.
Apparent suicide claims the life of UIS student
By Heather Shaffer - Editor in Chief
UIS student Srikanth C. Atluri died Friday at Memorial Medical Center because of an apparent suicide.
Atluri, 23, apparently set himself on fire Thursday in the 600 block of Toronto Road in Springfield.
According to Sgt. Pat Ross, spokesperson for the Springfield Police Department, �items have been recovered that in fact lead us to believe that this was an intentional act.�
Firefighters from Firehouse 11 on Toronto Road rushed to an area across from the fire station after receiving a 911 call from a resident saying that they had seen a man on fire.
The firefighters found Atluri, who had come to rest on a gravel road, and treated him before an ambulance arrived to transport him to the hospital.
Ross said that according to the initial reports, Atluri was conscious when the firefighters arrived on the scene and during the ride to the hospital. However, his entire body was severely burned.
Sangamon County Coroner Susan Boone confirmed that Atluri was pronounced dead at 7:42 a.m. on Friday.
Boone said that Atluri�s body was identified by photo identification and officials are currently in the process of doing fingerprint identification. However, a family member was present with Atluri at the hospital.
Boone said that no services are being planned in the United States. Atluri�s body has been released to a funeral home in Springfield, where it is being prepared to be immediately shipped to India, she said.
According to Ross, the department is investigating whether Atluri acted alone or was assisted and whether foul play was involved.
The State Journal-Register reported that investigators found a note Atluri wrote to a friend suggesting he might kill himself. The Springfield Police Department could not confirm or deny the existence of this note.
Atluri, a native of Hyderabad, India, was a part-time graduate student in the computer science program at UIS. He began classes at UIS in January 2005 after transferring from Oklahoma City University. He lived in the 2500 block of Delaware Drive in Springfield.
University officials could not comment on the situation at the time The Journal went to press. �Until the campus police receive confirmation of the individual�s identification from the Illinois State Police and the Springfield Police Department, we will not be able to make public this individual�s identity,� said Cheryl Peck, director of public relations at UIS.
According to Peck, the university was expecting this confirmation Monday, but due to some complications, it may be later in the week before they do receive it.
UIS student Shravan Avula knew Atluri and said he was pretty outgoing, participating in sports and cultural events at UIS.
This apparent suicide sent a shock wave through the Indian student population at UIS. �We are all really shocked. We wouldn�t expect something like this to happen and we are all really sad,� Avula said.
The UIS Counseling Center can provide counsel to individuals or groups who are grieving or affected by a loss, according to Judy Shipp, director of the UIS Counseling Center.