Thiruvananthapuram: Dramatic events unfolded in front of the Kerala Law Academy Law College here on Tuesday, including the death of a pedestrian on the road near the strike venue, and three suicide attempts by students. The pedestrian was identified as Abdul Jabbar, 73, of Manacaud. Jabbar, who got inside the crowd when the tussle between the police and the agitators was going on, collapsed on the road. He was rushed to the nearby Punarjani Hospital at Peroorkada by the public. The hospital authorities declared him brought dead following cardiac arrest.
The police who initiated a probe into the death shifted the body to the medical college hospital. Two KSU activists threatened to commit suicide by pouring petrol on their bodies. However, the fire force poured water on them to avoid a calamity. Around 2 p.m., Shinith, one of the striking students belonging to the ABVP, climbed up a big tree near the venue threatening to commit suicide. He had covered his face with a kerchief leaving only his eyes uncovered and carrying a bag on his shoulders. When attempts by the government officials to bring him down failed, fire force personnel climbed up the tree and brought him down using a rope. When Shinith touched the ground, the ABVP activists formed a human chain around him and took him to the pandal. BJP leader V.V. Rajesh told reporters that Shinith was shifted to the pandal to protect him from any police action.
Later, the officials informed the students that the DCP had agreed to look into the confiscation of former principal Lakshmi Nair’s passport. They also promised to bring the other issues to the notice of the cabinet. Sub-collector Divya S. Nair tried in vain to reach a consensus with the students. The students demanded the arrest of Lakshmi Nair under the provisions of the Act preventing atrocities against SC/ST students and the confiscation of her passport. The sub-collector said that she could not take a decision on the issue and that she would inform the officials concerned about the demands. The ABVP has called a statewide 48-hour education bandh on Wednesday and Thursday.
