College accused of abetting suicide

The police on Tuesday registered a case of abetment of suicide against the Sambharama Academy of Management Institute here following the January 30 death of a student.

The MBA student, Pushpanjali Poorty (24), was found hanging at her apartment near the college in Chikkabettahalli, MS Palya. According to a complaint lodged by a dalits students’ organisation, the institute kept  delaying the refund of the fees she had paid even after the Visvesvaraiah Technological University (VTU), to which the college was affiliated, cancelled her admission.

The VTU cancelled Poorty’s admission, citing low marks in the qualifying examination. After the cancellation of her admission, she wanted a refund of her fees and wished to return to her native place, Jamshedpur in Jharkhand.

Following her suicide, the student and dalits’ organisations staged a protest in front of the college. The Dalit Students’ Federation (DSF) demanded the arrest of college principal P Shivananda and refund of the fees, Rs3.5 lakh, to Poorty’s parents.

“We have filed an abetment case based on a complaint filed by the students’ organisation. We will investigate the case and take appropriate action against the college authorities,” inspector KM Subramanya of Vidyaranyapura police station said.

Police said they had charged two sections of the IPC 306 (abetment of suicide) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), against the college. The case was filed on a complaint by Raj Gopal, a DSF worker.

“The management did not repay the amount till January 30, the day on which she was to return her to native place. She was informed of the cancellation of her admission only two days before her first semester examination. She was preparing for the exam till that day. She became depressed after receiving the information,” Gopal said.