Arts college in dock for student's suicide

CHENNAI: A fact-finding team, probing the suicide of D Ilayaraja of Dr Ambedkar Government Arts College in Vyasarpadi, on Wednesday pinned the blame on administrative lapses for the extreme step taken by the student on March 11.

The report, presented by a seven-member team, including Prof A Marx, organiser, People’s Union for Human Rights, T N chapter, Dr T Sivakumar, principal, Government Arts College, Gudiyattam, and Prof M Thirumavalavan, former principal in-charge, Dr Ambedkar Government Arts College, arrived at the conclusion after going into the entire gamut of events and circumstances that contributed to the student’s death.

Ilayaraja’s suicide, allegedly due to denial of the hall ticket, led to protests by students, who demanded compensation for his family and indefinite postponement of the examinations.

Prof Marx told Express that an atmosphere conducive to conducting the exam must be created and the tests held immediately.

Topping the list of other recommendations was the appointment of a permanent principal and teaching staff for the college.

“There are no permanent principal or teaching faculties, only guest lecturers,” Prof Marx said.

“If there is no permanent staff for one department, then the permanent senior staff from another must be made in-charge. This was not done,” he claimed.

Despite the mandatory stipulation that every autonomous college must have a grievance redress cell, the college does not have any such mechanism.

“There was a grievances redress cell three years ago and it is not clear what became of it,” the former physics professor of Presidency College said.

The report recommended the setting up of a students’ union and holding of elections to it.

If students were attendance defaulters, they must be warned first. The management must inform their parents and discuss the issue with them before taking any step. In the case of Ilayaraja, none of the practices was followed, Prof Marx said.

The first-year BBA student was denied the hall ticket and asked to “redo” his year afresh.

Later, after a meeting with his parents, the college management reportedly ‘detained’ him, which meant that he would be promoted but would have carry the first year’s papers as arrears.

“It is not clear whether it was explained to the student, as in his dying declaration he claimed that he ended life as he was asked to ‘redo’ the year,” the activist alleged.