24-year-old Malaysian student Jerusha Sanjeevi committed suicide in April 2017 after enduring eight months of racially charged bullying in Utah State University (USU).

According to The Daily Beast, Sanjeevi's boyfriend Matthew Bick has filed a lawsuit on behalf of her family against the university, where Sanjeevi was a Ph.D candidate when she took her life.

The lawsuit names USU, the head of the psychology department, some of the students in Sanjeevi's cohort, and multiple professors as defendants, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.

It alleges negligence, wrongful death, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and was filed on August 1, 2019 in a U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City, Utah, according to The Herald Journal.

Enrolled as Ph.D candidate at USU

Sanjeevi — who was born and raised in Malaysia and is of Chinese and Indian descent — had applied to USU after graduating from Minnesota State University with a master's degree in clinical psychology in the first half of 2016.

In her interview with the university, Sanjeevi had reportedly asked whether USU had an inclusive environment, as 83 per cent of the university's students are white.

She felt assured that she would be comfortable at the university, and thus enrolled in USU's psychology Ph.D program.

Singled out by two students

However, just a few months into her time at the university, the suit says that Sanjeevi texted her friend saying, "Every day I dread going to class now because I sit three feet from my white bully", The Salt Lake Tribune writes.

According to the suit, almost immediately after enrolling, Sanjeevi was singled out by two students in her cohort.

They allegedly made fun of her "weird Asian name", joked that she was bipolar, and called her "stupid".

They also told other classmates that Sanjeevi had only gotten into the program because she had been "given a handout" as an international student.

Relentless torment

The suit said that one of the two students was particularly relentless in her bullying of Sanjeevi.

The bully and Sanjeevi were working in a professor's lab and as a teaching assistant.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported the suit as saying that the other student would discredit Sanjeevi while instructing classes, make remarks that she smelled like Indian food or that dark skin was a "sign of inferiority", and spread rumours that Sanjeevi was mentally unstable because she was worried about being deported.

According to The Daily Beast, members of the cohort told Sanjeevi's lawyers that the student "was tormenting (Sanjeevi) daily".

Reporting to professors

Sanjeevi first reported her experience of bullying at the hands of the other student in September 2016.

She spoke to the professor under whom they worked as teaching assistants.

However, The Salt Lake Tribune reported the suit as saying that the professor — who had a close relationship with the other student — allegedly "dismissed (Sanjeevi's complaint) as a misunderstanding" and continued to show preferential treatment to the other student.

Later that same month, Sanjeevi told Bick that she was considering leaving USU.

She also met with two other professors in the university's psychology department who convinced her to stay at the school.

The also encouraged her to try to work with the students harassing her.

Victim of rape

The next month, in October 2016, Sanjeevi hosted a celebration of Deepavali and invited her classmates in an attempt to foster healthier relations.

However, the lawsuit alleges that the harassment and bullying only got worse from then on, reports The Salt Lake Tribune.

Sanjeevi, whose research focused on rape and sexual pathology, had been raped as a child in Malaysia.

The other student allegedly questioned whether Sanjeevi had actually been assaulted. The student also allegedly mocked Sanjeevi when she had to leave an in-course discussion on rape after feeling triggered.

"Getting messy and ugly"

Some professors then began to take notice of Sanjeevi's struggles, and had internal conversations about how to handle the situation.

Sanjeevi was also in conversation with members of the faculty about her struggles, who were considering moving her to a different lab.

Conversations which Sanjeevi's lawyers received through public record requests showed that professors had suggested that both women were to blame.

They also discussed the possibility of dismissing both students from the program, with one professor saying that the situation was "getting messy and ugly".

The Daily Beast reported that according to the suit, Sanjeevi met with the head of the psychology department in December to report that she felt bullied and was afraid of at least one member of the cohort.

However, the department head viewed the issue as "a conflict between students".

Apathy from the department

According to The Salt Lake Tribune, despite Sanjeevi talking to at least five faculty members, the schools counselling centre, the student conduct office, and the affirmative action department over the eight months that she was harassed, the suit alleges that no one was ever investigated.

Days before taking her life, Sanjeevi told a friend that she was overwhelmed by the department's apathy.

"I just don't understand why I matter so little to them," she said.

"I haven't been feeling like living and this just confirms that I don't want this life anymore."

Her body was found on April 24, 2017. She had died from acute carbon monoxide poisoning two days earlier.

Please be kinder in the future

In a note written before her death, Sanjeevi sought to clarify the reasons for her suicide.

"When you dismissed the bullying report, you provided a final confirmation that I did, in fact, not matter," she wrote.

"Watching the department not only choose to not enact consequences, but to give an award to the sick person who bullied me, was the last nail in my coffin. My heart was broken.

Please be kinder in the future. Please send my ashes to my parents."

Amanda DeRito, a spokeswoman for USU, told The Daily Beast that Sanjeevi's suicide was "a tragic event".

While she said that it had a "huge impact on the psychology department" and the rest of the university, she also said that USU "strongly" disputed the allegations raised in the lawsuit.

"We believe Utah State took all appropriate action to address interpersonal issues between students in the department," said DeRito.

The lawsuit is asking for unspecified punitive and compensatory damages for Sanjeevi's family.

Support hotlines for those seeking help

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just have a listening ear:

• Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444
• Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
• Institute of Mental Health’s Mobile Crisis Service: 6389-2222
• Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin): 1800-353-5800

Top image from Jerusha Sanjeevi's Facebook page