The students of Amal Jyothi College of Engineering in Kanjirappally, Kerala staged a protest against the college management following the alleged suicide of a 20-year-old female student named Shraddha Satheesh. The New Indian Express reports that the second-year Food Technology student was found unresponsive in her hostel room and couldn't be saved despite being rushed to a nearby hospital on the night of June 2. A minor altercation resulted from police stopping the agitated students who attempted to surge onto the college campus on Tuesday, June 6.
The students accused teachers and the hostel warden of emotionally harassing Shraddha, which they believed led to the suicide. They demanded action against the department head who confiscated Shraddha's mobile phone and the hostel warden who allegedly provided false information to the hospital.
According to the report, Shraddha allegedly took her own life after being reprimanded by authorities for using a mobile phone inside the college laboratory.
The protest gained momentum as major student organisations, the SFI (Students' Federation of India) and KSU (Kerala Students Union), joined in support. In response, the college management decided to close the college on Monday, June 5 and asked the students to vacate the hostels. However, the students refused and continued their protest.
Government Chief Whip N Jayaraj, who is also the local MLA, attempted to mediate between the management and the protesting students, but the talks failed. In a bid to escalate their protest, the students closed the main gate of the college, preventing teachers and staff from leaving the campus. Eventually, the management agreed to allow the girls to stay in the hostel, easing the tension.
Both Shraddha's parents and the college management filed separate complaints with the Kottayam district police chief, urging a thorough investigation into the suicide. The college management handed over Shraddha's mobile phone and laptop to the police. "A case has been registered based on the complaint and investigation is under way. It is too early to comment on the matter," said K Karthik, the district police chief.
The college management released a statement expressing their cooperation with any investigation and requested that false allegations not be made against teachers and hostel authorities.
