BENGALURU: The suicide bid by 40-year-old lecturer Mamatha G S could be an eye-opener to a larger institutional malaise. The lecturer at the nursing college of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute tried to commit suicide on Wednesday evening after she was allegedly foul-mouthed by in-charge Principal Hemavathi S. She was rescued by students and admitted to the ICU the same day. On Saturday, she was shifted to a ward in the Emergency and Trauma Care Centre at Victoria Hospital.
Mamatha told Express that she had repeatedly complained to the administration about Hemavathi taking bribes from students in lieu of internal assessment marks, relieving certificates and hostel facilities, but no action was initiated against her.
“On Wednesday, she called me to her chamber and reprimanded me for having complained to the dean about she harassing me. She had asked me to take `4,000 from each hostel student when I was the warden, but I refused. Harassment hasn’t stopped since then and she often hurls abuses at me,” said Mamatha.
“At every step, she takes bribes from students or asks the lecturers to collect it for her. Be it for attempt certificate (that mentions how many attempts a student has made to pass the examination), completion certificate for in-service candidates, hostel facilities, which is supposed to be free or for relieving certificate, she expects bribes,” said Mamatha.
In a letter dated August 28, a copy of which is with Express, Mamatha, along with two other lecturers, Dr Suvarna B Talwar and Dr Saraswathi, had written to the dean saying that the in-charge principal was taking bribes in their name to tarnish their image.
“A three-member committee was constituted under in-charge dean Dr Veeranna Gowda K M, which gave Hemavathi a clean chit. She became in-charge Principal in 2012 and was even suspended for a few months on corruption charges but came back to her post. The authorities are hand-in-glove. If this is the condition of lecturers, imagine the plight of students,” she added.
When Express contacted Hemavathi, she only said, “This lecturer is very junior to me and is mentally unstable.”
Dr Devadass P K, director, BMCRI, said, “I have constituted a three-member committee again. The report will come in three days, based on which action will be taken. Three months ago also, a committee was constituted to probe into corruption charges. Since she has attempted suicide this time, there is no need for us to file an FIR. A medico-legal case has already been registered by the police.”
Over 300 students study in the nursing college at BMCRI in various courses like basic BSc, post-basic BSc and MSc. Some IGNOU courses are also run here.