Bodies of 3 Annamalai University students recovered from canal

Three engineering students of the Annamalai University died after they fell into a canal nearby while fleeing a police lathicharge on students protesting the death of their classmate.

The bodies of Ashish Ranjan Kumar and Sarbadas, both from Jharkhand, were fished out from the Palaman canal near here today and that of Sumit Kumar from Bihar yesterday, Cuddalore district superintendent of police Ashwin Kotnis said.

According to police, the students, apparently not familiar with the terrain, accidentally fell into the canal in the melee during the lathicharge at night.

The students went on a rampage, damaging five cars in the university campus after vice-chancellor Ramanathan reportedly refused to meet them last night to discuss the "negligence" of university medical college doctors in treating a student injured in a road accident on February 28, he said.

The student was admitted to the university medical college hospital that day. He was later referred to the JIPMER (Jawaharlal Institute of Post graduate Medical Education and Research) hospital in Puducherry, but died en route.

Following a complaint by the vice chancellor, police rushed to the university and requested the students to disperse, which failed to evoke any response, police said, adding in the ensuing lathicharge, 13 students were injured.

Three of the students fell into the canal while fleeing and died, they said. A strong police contingent has been posted in the university campus, hit by tension after the deaths.

The vice chancellor has ordered an indefinite closure of the college. All students have vacated the hostel.