A 4th year engineering student at Amrita School of Engineering, Bengaluru committed suicide due to alleged harassment by college authorities. 22-year old Harsha jumped off the 7th floor of the college building. This triggered a violent protest among the students of the college as they demand justice for their friend.

It all started on October 23, when students protested against the college for lack of water and other basic necessities. The protest went on for two days but the demands were still not met. Following this, the management asked all students to evacuate the college premises. 

A week later, the college decided to suspend students and Harsha was one of them, although he was not part of the protest, claimed other students. After a brief meeting with the college authorities on October 21, he was suspended. He committed suicide on the same day.

Three days following his death, the student’s father accused the college Principal and nine other lecturers of harassing his son. The police made no arrests till now. A large number of students came in support of Harsha and to protest for his justice. 

One of Harsha’s batchmate and a student of the Electronics and Communication Engineering stream told The News Minue, “We knew him to be a shy guy who would not even talk to people that much. There was no way that he was involved in that incident. Even one of the students who confessed his involvement clearly said that Harsha was not part of it. But still the college administration continued to harass him.”

Students further added that 15 students have already been rusticated and 45 students suspended because of the protests. They also said that the college authorities tried to pass the his death as accident by removing CCTV footage.

10 of the staff members have been accused of tampering evidence and have been booked under section 201 (tampering with evidence) and 306 (abetment to suicide). The police said that blood stains were wiped clean at the crime scene before the police arrived at the spot.

DCP Isha Pant confirmed that Parappana Agrahara police had registered a case of abetment of Section 306 (abetment of suicide) and Section 201 (Causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information) against the college.

Source: The News Minute