THRISSUR: A first-year BSc student was found dead in his hostel room on the Kerala Agriculture University campus at Vellanikkara near Mannuthy on Sunday. Mahesh (20), son of Velmurukan and a native of Kozhinjampara in Palakkad district, was found hanging around 2 am.
Though he was rushed to the General Hospital, he was declared brought dead. The Mannuthy police have registered a case for unnatural death. Meanwhile, SFI activists alleged that Mahesh took the extreme step following the trauma of ragging. The students alleged that a gang of seniors had visited the men's hostel, named 'Pamba', on Saturday night.
Sources in the police indicated that his suicide note did not mention ragging, but that relationship failure was the reason. Mahesh's family said there were no family issues and demanded that the reason behind his be identified.
The students said that the SFI had earlier lodged a complaint with the police about a couple of ragging incidents in the university but no action was taken.
Based on the latest incident, the SFI has lodged a complaint with the city police commissioner seeking an extensive probe into the alleged ragging on the campus. The police have recorded the statements of Mahesh’s friends. After the postmortem, his body was handed over to his family.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call AASRA's 24x7 Helpline: +91-9820466726 for assistance)