New Delhi: The windows of the flat at 11A/16, Old Rajinder Nagar, are open now. The smell that filled the building has given way to incense, a bhajan plays at the temple nearby, and a few metres away students sit over tea, talking about next year’s Prelims. On Monday, police found a 25-year-old aspirant dead inside the flat, two to three days after he died.
For the past two years, Alta Bharat Kumar Reddy from Andhra Pradesh had been preparing for the civil services examination in Delhi. Reddy’s father was a farmer. According to the police, he had an elder sister too, who is married.
To prepare for the UPSC Reddy attended coaching classes at Vajiram, one of the city’s well-known civil services coaching institutes, until July, after which he began studying by himself. His body was believed to have been lying in the flat for two to three days before it was discovered.
“The smell had been coming from the flat for the last two days, but when it grew stronger, we informed the landlord. He called the police,” said Seelam, a resident of the same building.
A student who knew Reddy through a friend said he lived with a roommate who had returned to their hometown in Lucknow a few days ago. The student claimed that Reddy had cut his wrist before hanging himself.
“His body had decomposed and turned completely black when it was brought out. He had no friends. He did not talk much to the people around him. Even for his family’s contact details, people had to approach his institute Vajiram,” she said, requesting anonymity. She too had come to Delhi to prepare for the UPSC examination two years ago.
She added that she had heard a woman who was friends with Reddy and lived nearby had come forward to give a statement to the police.
Reddy had already been dead for a few days when the police received a call at 2:38 pm on Monday. From the flat, they recovered a suicide note in Telegu. According to an officer, the note stated that Reddy wanted to feel motivated but was unable to, and that he did not hold anyone responsible.
According to the police, Reddy’s roommate described him as an introvert who did not speak much and preferred to keep to himself.
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The scene in Old Rajinder Nagar
In Old Rajinder Nagar, few residents are willing to talk about the incident.
“He was under a lot of pressure. UPSC preparation is mentally and emotionally draining. It takes a lot of time. We should know when to quit if we are not moving forward, but that is very difficult. Once you enter this cycle, it ends only with your last attempt,” said Nitin Dubey, a UPSC aspirant living in Old Rajinder Nagar.
Many aspirants have left hostels and rented flats for the festival season, but those who remain continue to visit libraries to study. Reddy’s death has become a topic of discussion among them. Student Telegram groups were active on Monday, with messages offering support to those struggling with the pressure of preparation.
“If anyone is feeling stressed or pressured, please speak up and look after your friends who don’t talk much,” read one message in a students’ Telegram group.
Reddy’s death is not the first such case in the high-pressure world of UPSC preparation in Old Rajinder Nagar. Before him, a 20-year-old woman from Jaipur, who had moved to Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar nearly two months earlier to prepare for competitive examinations, was found dead in her rented room in August 2025. Police reportedly recovered a note referring to stress and depression linked to exam preparation.
(Edited by Janaki Pande)