BENGALURU: The controversy surrounding the death of 19-year-old Aditya Prabhu continues, as his university issued a statement denying allegations made by his mother. Yet another post went viral on social media, wherein alleged screenshots of a university group chat were posted.
In the screenshots, a faculty member, or member of administration, is seen encouraging the start of a social media campaign, titled ‘We Love PES University’, to counter the backlash that the university faced online.
“This is regarding the social media backlash on the university in the aftermath of the unfortunate demise of Aditya Prabhu. There is a need to bring out positive vibes on the campuses and that the university provides a platform for all types of students. The university needs our support at this critical moment,” a screenshot read. Later, the anonymous user who had posted the screenshot on Twitter posted another threatening message they had received, which stated, “Take down the message or you will be found out and face severe action from the university.”
Meanwhile, PES University released an official statement, refuting allegations that Aditya had been harassed following his misconduct during an examination, leading him to commit suicide.
“Regardless of the best intentions of the University to protect the image of the student and his family, there have been a number of reports in the papers and social media alleging that the university has not been forthcoming and has been harsh on judging the malpractice incident. These reports are all baseless and the University refutes all charges that are being made regarding the process and all the lies that are being circulated by opinions on our staff and the welfare of our students,” the university stated.
They also said that they refused to comment on the incident itself as it is currently under investigation. Following a complaint from Aditya’s parents, Girish and Asha Prabhu, police filed an FIR against the university.
Meanwhile, a social media account belonging to Aditya’s mother highlighted several issues following his death, including alleging that university staff had told Aditya that it was better to die than to engage in malpractice.