Chennai: Nearly 300 students from Sri Sairam Engineering college gathered in front of Anna University on Monday to seek justice for T. Abhinath, a first year mechanical engineering student, who committed suicide. They demanded the removal of the campus director. According to students, the campus director P. Balu has been missing after the suicide incident.
“We have gathered here to request the Anna University Vice Chancellor to take action against Balu and remove him from the post,” said a student requesting anonymity. Students said Abhinath was missing since December. After requesting him to come back to college he came back. “The main reason for him to commit suicide was that he was asked to pay around Rs 4 lakh after taking transfer certificate. But his father refused to do so and forced him to continue. He got through in medical college, as medicine was his interest,” said a student.
He further said that because he had four subjects in arrears Balu tortured him. The day before the suicide he was scolded very badly. He said that he would come back in a few minutes but he never returned.
The students alleged that it was a pre-planned murder. “We saw he had scratch marks on his hand. He could swim as well. The well where he jumped was behind the girl’s hostel. No student is allowed to go there. We are sure it was a murder and Balu is missing. Last time also when we protested he did the same and came back after two or three months,” said a student requesting anonymity.
Anna University Registrar, S. Ganesan, said that Directorate for Technical Education will set up a committee to investigate the issue. “There will be a surprise visit to the college without informing the college management,” he said.
Students also took to Facebook page called ‘Chennaites’ to express their ire against him and posted his photo. A student commented in the post introducing Balu as a so-called campus in-charge. “His day starts with harassing boys and girls for their dressing, using vulgar words in public. Even teaching staff are victims of this. You will be made to stand in the gate for an hour if you don’t have ID cards.
ID cards will be confiscated by him if you commit crimes like being absent because of sickness, sleeping in class because of sickness, talking to students of the other gender, sharing food, failing in exams and so on,” wrote a student.
