THRISSUR: The protest march by students to the Nehru College of Engineering and Research Centre, Pampady, Thrissur, following the death of a student, turned violent on Monday. The students unions conducted the march after Jishnu, a first year B Tech Computer science student committed suicide in the college hostel on Friday.
Protesters pelted stones at the college and police personnel. They also broke furniture and glass windows of the office and class rooms in the college. Reportedly, activists of SFI, KSU and ABVP conducted the protest march to the college and those from SFI and KSU attacked the college and police. An ATM counter, glass in window pan, the administrative office and some class rooms were damaged in the attack.
Jishnu Pranoy, native of Nadapuram near Kozhikkod allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in the toilet following an issue that occurred in the college. According to college officials, the 18-year- old committed suicide after being caught for copying answer from another student. However, the students alleged that the college officials harassed Jishnu mentally over the issue.
His relatives released a video showing the marks in Jishnu’s body. The students and relatives alleged that the college officials had manhandled him after the issue in the exam hall and the management threatened him that they would debar him from the examinations.
The incident caused an uproar in Facebook, with many students sharing their experiences of harassment by private college managements in the State. Some of them have even revealed the existence of 'torture rooms’ in some campuses.