Tension prevailed at Government Polytechnic College near Peelamedu here on Tuesday when students staged a mass protest over the suicide of a student. Traffic on Avinashi Road was disrupted for nearly 30 minutes as the students took the protest to the road.
Sanjai Prasad (18), a second year diploma student of the institution, committed suicide in his house in Tirupur on Monday. The protesters alleged that Prasad ended life following disciplinary action taken by a teacher.
According to police, a teacher of the college had allegedly found Prasad and a few other students using abusive words on the campus last week. He reportedly believed that the abuse was targeted at him. He asked the students to come with their parents if they wanted to attend classes. While other students brought their parents, Prasad could not do so. According to police, the student was found hanging in his house, allegedly disturbed over the disciplinary action. The police said that Students Federation of India (SFI) allegedly triggered the protest on Tuesday. Peelamedu inspector V. Selvaraj held talks with the students. Though the college agreed to hold talks with student representatives, it did not invite SFI district president Dinesh Raja. The protesters wanted the college to take action against the teacher.