KALMUNAI, Sri Lanka — A 19-year-old student at a prominent school in eastern Sri Lanka was found dead at his family home in Kalmunai, just four months after the death of his father, police said.
The student, identified as Iruthayanathan Amrisan, was studying for his Advanced Level examinations at Carmel Fatima National School in Kalmunai, in Sri Lanka's Eastern Province.
His body was discovered at a house on Vanniyar Road, within the jurisdiction of Kalmunai Headquarters Police in Ampara District.
A postmortem examination conducted at Ashraff Memorial Hospital in Kalmunai determined that he had died from asphyxia caused by hanging, according to the findings reported by local authorities. His body was released to relatives on Wednesday evening for funeral rites.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death, including his activities and communications in the hours before he was found.
According to preliminary police findings, Mr. Amrisan had spoken on the telephone until around midnight with a fellow student from Pandiruppu with whom he was in a romantic relationship.
Investigators also examined personal belongings found in his room, including a photograph of the girl, and evidence that he had injured himself before his death.
The authorities have not established what prompted his actions, and there is no evidence in the information released by police that the telephone conversation caused his death.
Mr. Amrisan had lost his father, a government employee, just four months earlier. His mother also works in the public sector, and he had two siblings.
His death has left the family confronting a second bereavement within a short period.
The preliminary inquiry was conducted by Mohamed Ibrahim Nasrul Islam, an inquirer into sudden deaths, under the supervision of Assistant Superintendent of Police M.K. Ibnu Asar.
The inquiry followed a request from K.A.L. Lasantha Kaluarachchi, the officer in charge of Kalmunai Headquarters Police.
The body was subsequently examined by Judicial Medical Officer Dr. S.M. Rifastheen at Ashraff Memorial Hospital. The postmortem findings attributed the death to asphyxia resulting from compression of the neck.
Police said further investigations were continuing.
