Suicide In NIT Campus Triggers Violent Protests As Students Clash With Police; 40 Injured

Silchar: A student’s suicide at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) here led to chaos as fellow-students protested against the college, alleging that actions taken by the management forced the Arunachal Pradesh native to end his life.

The protests turned violent, with students vandalising several vehicles as well as hostel property. Once police arrived at the scene, one of the students threw a water bottle at Kachar Superintendent of Police Normal Mahato.

Police resorted to baton charge, resulting in injuries to over 40 NIT students. Some of the injured students were admitted to Silchar Medical College.

On Friday, a third-year student was found hanging in Hostel 7 of NIT.

He had not been able to attend online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic due to poor internet connectivity in his hometown, which affected his attendance. This resulted in backlogs and came in the way of his promotion.

He, along with other students who had faced similar problems, went to college authorities on Friday morning and demanded that those with backlogs be promoted.

NIT authorities, however, dismissed their demand and reportedly used derogatory language before driving them away from the office.

Hours later, around 5 pm, the student from Arunachal was found hanging from a noose by one of his batchmates.