A 2nd year BCA student committed suicide by eating cow dung powder at her home at Pavizham Street in Coimbatore on Friday evening after she was reprimanded by lecturers at her college on suspicion that she had tampered with the attendance register to hide her poor attendance record. The principal of the college and some lecturers were booked on Saturday on charges of abetting suicide and for criminally intimidating the girl.
Police said K Mahalakshmi (20) had returned for classes at the Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts & Science for Women after being on leave for 16-days as she had gone with her family on a pilgrimage. Her lecturers scolded Mahalakshmi saying that she could not appear for the upcoming semester examinations as she lacked the minimum required attendance. “Later, a few pages in the class attendance register were torn. The lecturers suspected Mahalakshmi had done this to destroy evidence of her poor attendance. Her mother Kamatchi was summoned to the college and was warned,” police said.
After returning home, Mahalakshmi consumed cow dung powder during a power cut between 6 and 7 pm. Kamatchi noticed her lying unconscious around 7 pm when the power was restored. She died as she was being taken to Hospital. Kamatchi and her relatives protested at the hospital premises on Saturday seeking action against college officials. “The teachers ill-treated Mahalakshmi. The girl repeatedly pleaded that she had not torn the papers, a relative. However, a spokesperson of the college denied that Mahalakshmi was harassed. “She confessed to having torn the papers after an enquiry by teachers. So, the principal merely asked her to submit a letter of apology.,” said the spokesperson.