It's been a week since 18-year-old Kerala college student Jishnu killed himself over alleged harassment by the college authorities. The management of the Nehru College of Engineering and Research, Thrissur that has been on a defensive mode till now, suspended three authorities on Thursday.
A student of computer science at the college, Jishnu Pranoy hung himself only hours after he was accused of cheating in semester examination.
According to reports, the college management informed via a press statement that it has suspended the Vice Principal N Shakthivel, Praveen, the invigilator who “caught Jishnu cheating” and Public Relations Officer (PRO) Samjith.
The decision was taken based on an enquiry report by a 3-member internal commission appointed to look into the matter, that found lapses on the part of the authorities.
While the students pointed fingers at Praveen for falsely accusing Jishnu of copying, PRO Samjith and Vice Principal were accused of mentally and physically harassing students in the name of imposing rules and guidelines. As Jishnu's suicide created furore, many students of the college came out with grave allegations against the management.
Education Minister C Raveendranath visited Jishnu's residence in Kozhikode on Thursday morning. Assuring that the government has taken the matter seriously, the minister told journalists, “It was unfortunate that an incident had taken place. The government would take all necessary steps so that such incidents do not occur in future."
Earlier, visiting the college campus in Pampady, Shaju, the exam controller of the university had said that the college authorities had not reported the copying incident to the university. According to university guidelines, the management is expected to inform the university on the same day.
As many as 120 self-financing colleges in the state remained shut on Thursday, as a mark of protest against KSU activists vandalizing its head office in Kochi on Wednesday.