BENGALURU: Responding to the death of a 21-year-old student who jumped from the seventh floor of the college building, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has clarified that the student was not suspended or rusticated.
GNNK Sri Harsha, a BTech electronics student, committed suicide by jumping from the college building on Monday. The management issued a clarification which stated: “Several wild and baseless charges against Amrita management and staff have been circulated over the past few days. The charges include the tearing up of Harsha’s non-existent placement offer, harassment of students, insensitivity towards student welfare, exorbitant hostel fees, disrespect for parents of students, none of which are true and have no basis. There seems to be involvement of some external elements with ulterior motives in instigating the students.”
Explaining the developments that unfolded before the tragic incident, the management said water supply to one of the main hostels was obstructed on September 23 due to disruption of power supply in the whole belt. “However, water was available in other adjacent hostel blocks and students were able to access the same. Water supply was fully restored within a day. However, some miscreants among students took this opportunity to agitate and destroy properties of the institution such as buses, canteen and electrical systems.”
This resulted in the constitution of a seven-member inquiry committee. Based on evidence, 19 students were suspended from attending classes, pending enquiry. Harsha’s name, however, did not figure in this list and he was not suspended or rusticated. Like other students who were called to depose before the committee, Harsha was only required to make a routine appearance before it to ascertain the veracity of facts.