Student's suicide triggers protests at MHES Science and Technology College

Kozhikode: A large group of students, Youth Congress and SFI activists staged a protest before MHES Science and Technology College, Cherandathur, shouting slogans against the management accusing it of showing lethargy in taking action against the senior students involved in ragging a second year student Ashnaz, who committed suicide on Friday.

A day-long hartal was observed, demanding that police officials take action against all officials of the college found guilty and all the senior students responsible for the ragging. “We did not receive any complaint of ragging in written form or verbally from Ashnaz, the second year Microbiology student of our college, hence we are not responsible for the incident”, said the college Principal Dr EMA Jamal. “We have not come across any case of ragging in our college till date. But we will check and stop such practices in our college if found”, he added.

On the contrary, one of the family members of Ashnaz, Abdul Majeed said, “The girl had already reported to her faculty about several incidents in which she was ragged by her seniors inside the campus”. Her classmates admitted that Ashnaz was distressed and “down in the dumps” on the day she committed suicide. Her classmates also said that she was seen crying the whole day in the classroom after a few third year students talked to her, he added.