COIMBATORE: Five persons have been arrested so far in connection with the murder of K Amudhan (19), a third-year engineering student of a private college near Chettipalayam. The college management has handed over details of 15 more students to the police as requested, according to sources.
The father of the victim, Kennedy, had alleged on Tuesday that his son was brutally murdered because he had informed the college management regarding drug abuse on the campus. He stated that drug abuse is widespread in the college and claimed that the management had pressured his son to provide them with names and other information about those using drugs on campus.
Principal J Jaya, deans K Magudeshwaran and N P Anandha Moorthi, along with disciplinary committee members of the Hindusthan College of Engineering and Technology, addressed reporters on Wednesday and briefed them on the sequence of events leading to Amudhan's death.
According to the management, on the night of July 21, around 11.30 pm, Amudhan and fellow student Ajeesh left the hostel in violation of rules. When cook Manoj questioned them, the two allegedly assaulted him, leading to Manoj being hospitalised. Following this, hostel staff refused to work, citing an unsafe environment.
The disciplinary committee launched a probe into the matter, they said. Both students admitted their fault and their parents were contacted — Ajeesh's on July 23 and Amudhan's on July 24. After they submitted apology letters, the college suspended both of them on July 24 and sent them home with their parents. They were asked to meet the management on August 11 so that their studies would not be affected, the management added.
On the evening of August 10, police informed the college management that Amudhan had been attacked, admitted to a private hospital and had died. The management said it was unaware that the suspended students were staying outside the campus. It also dismissed reports linking the attack to the students exposing drug abuse inside the campus, stating that action was taken against the two solely for assaulting the cook. Anti-drug and monitoring committees continue to conduct awareness programmes on campus, they added.
According to police, five students have been arrested based on initial inquiry. Further investigation will reveal the total number of people involved, police said. Details of a few more students have been requested, and their possible role will be examined. "The clash occurred due to personal enmity between two groups of students and not related to drug usage in the campus. The deceased student's parents have provided unrelated information and are attempting to divert the investigation. Further probe is on," the official said.