A day after college authorities denied complicity in the suspected suicide of Anju P. Shaji, a final year BCom student, the controversy over the death raged further on Tuesday with her relatives staging a protest demanding action against the Principal and teachers of BVM Holy Cross College, Cherpungal, for abetment to suicide.
The protest began in the morning when the 20-year-old’s body was brought home after post-mortem examination at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kottayam.
A group of protesters blocked the vehicle carrying the body and accused the police of not handing over the body immediately to the kin after autopsy and attempting to destroy evidence.
As the protest intensified, P.C. George, MLA, held discussions with the crowd and the situation eased after he assured them that he would take up the issue with the Chief Minister.
Authorities blamed
Earlier in the day, the girl’s father Shaji, addressing media, accused the college authorities of fabricating evidence to sabotage investigation.
“The CCTV footage released by the college has been edited to suit their interests while the scribblings on her hall ticket belong to someone else,” he said.
He said the family came to know about the humiliation suffered by his daughter from the college authorities through a fellow student. He also accused Principal Fr. Joseph Njarakkattil of misbehaving with the family members when they approached him to enquire about Anju after she went missing.
J. Santosh Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kanjirappally, said the statements of the students who attended the examination along with the victim would be recorded.
“The statements of the invigilator and the Principal have been recorded. The hall ticket of Anju along with her answer scripts will be subjected to forensic analysis to ascertain the veracity of the scribblings,” the official said. Additionally, a Circle Inspector will verify the examination guidelines of Mahatma Gandhi University to ascertain whether the college authorities violated the protocol for detection of malpractices.
Meanwhile, Mahatma Gandhi University constituted a three-member committee of syndicate members to probe the episode.
The college authority has already submitted a preliminary report to the varsity.