Chennai: Following the suicide of a third-year engineering student of a private college in Mahabalipuram on Thursday evening, other students of the college turned violent and on Friday pelting stones at the college alleging that it was because of the administration, Sugandha Veerapandian, a mechanical engineering student, decided to end his life.
Following the unrest in the campus, the management of Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan engineering college declared holiday till July 19.
Police, however, claimed that the student, a native of Peravoorani in Thanjavur and son a farmer, committed suicide because he was embarrassed over the fact that he could not pay fee for the last semester.
Police quoting his suicide note said that the student could not pay the fee because his father’s cultivation was affected due to drought in the delta area.
On Thursday when Sugandha Veerapandian went to the class, his HOD reportedly pulled him up for non-payment of fee and also reminded him that he had 6 arrear papers to clear.
Later in the evening, he committed suicide by hanging in the hostel room.
Sugandha Veerapandian reportedly was an active student in the campus who fought for better amenities and this forced the administration to target him, his classmates claimed.
On Friday the administration agreed to the students’ demand for change of HoD. But refused to accept their second demand of change of principal, before declaring holiday till July 19.
Sugandha Veerapandi’s body was handed over to his family after postmortem at Chengalpet medical college on Friday.
