Engineering Student From Tirupati Found Dead in Kanchi Varsity Hostel
The deceased was identified as Nikitha, a third-year Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) student of Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya.
Kanchipuram: A 20-year-old engineering student from Tirupati was found dead in her hostel room at a private deemed university in Enathur, near Kanchipuram, on Thursday night, triggering a protest by fellow students who questioned the alleged lack of monitoring by hostel authorities.
The deceased was identified as Nikitha, a third-year Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) student of Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya. She was staying in the university hostel.
According to police and university sources, Nikitha had reportedly not attended classes for the past two days and had remained inside her hostel room. On Thursday night, fellow students complained to the hostel authorities after noticing a foul smell emanating from her room.
The hostel warden, with the assistance of other staff members, opened the room and found Nikitha hanging. The Ponnerikarai police, who were informed, rushed to the university. The body was sent to the Chengalpet Government Medical College Hospital for post-mortem.
The incident caused tension among students on campus, with several questioning why the hostel authorities had not checked on the student despite her absence from classes for two days.
“Why did the warden and the administration not check on her when she had not attended classes for two days and had not even come out of her room to eat at the canteen?” they asked.
As the students alleged negligence by the hostel authorities, more than 50 students gathered on campus and staged a protest, demanding justice for Nikitha. When the students alleged that the university administration had failed to provide satisfactory answers, the situation became tense, and police personnel were deployed.
The protesting students later moved outside the university and blocked the road, raising slogans demanding justice for Nikitha. Superintendent of Police Aravindan, who reached the spot, held preliminary discussions with the university administration and spoke to the protesting students.
Police said a suicide note had been recovered and that the preliminary inquiry indicated that Nikitha had taken the extreme step due to family-related reasons. However, the police said they were continuing their investigation and were also awaiting the post-mortem report to establish the circumstances surrounding her death. Following the police assurance, the students withdrew their protest and dispersed peacefully.
