In West Bengal's Coochbehar district where an 18-year-old woman, Neela Barman, committed suicide due to her inability to purchase a new mobile phone.

Neela, a first-year student at Shitalkuchi College, had been waiting for a new phone for months. She had received financial support through the West Bengal government's 'Taruner Shwapno' scheme three months ago, hoping to use the money to buy the device. But her father, with other urgent family expenses, had to spend the money on essential needs, and Neela's wish remained unfulfilled.

Neela's family said that this had been a source of great distress for her. Her elder sister, Moushumi, said that Neela had been keen to have a phone before Saraswati Puja and had waited for her father to deliver on that promise. “My father promised to get her one, but she didn’t believe him,” Moushumi said.

On Sunday evening, Neela's body was found in a grove of bamboo near her house. She was informed immediately by the local police. Authorities have opened an investigation into the incident, and Neela's body has been sent for an autopsy to find out the cause of death.

Neighbours and members of the locality have expressed deep grief and disbelief at the incident. "She was heartbroken after repeatedly asking for a phone and not getting it. It's devastating that she ended her life this way," Swadesh said.

The investigation is still ongoing, and authorities are looking into all aspects of Neela's life leading up to the tragedy.