Engineering students allege harassment by college authorities

Kottayam (KER): A section of students studying in a private self-financing engineering institute in this district have levelled serious allegations of harassment against top authorities of the college management.

Girl students of the institute told Malayalam TV news channels that a top management authority visited the hostel during late evening and even used abusive language against them.

He had even shouted at a girl student as she had failed to remit the fee on time, they alleged.

In a release today, Kerala Social Welfare Minister KK Shailaja said strong action would be taken against the authorities of Toms Engineering College, Mattakkara, Kottayam for allegedly harassing them.

The Social Welfare Department would recommend a probe against the management authority who had allegedly made the abusive remarks against a girl student, the release said.

Meanwhile, today the authorities of Tom’s Engineering College allegedly held girl students hostage when a Commission from the Kerala Technical University visited the institute to probe the reported incidents of mistreatments meted out to the girl students.

Various students organisations including SFI and ABVP had held separate protest marches against the college management following allegations against some college authorities.

The girl students were released after the march organised by students under the banner of SFI turned violent, destroying glass panes of the college.

Leaders of various student organisations in Kottayam have alleged that the management of Toms Engineering College targets students, who register complaints against their indecent behaviour and even threatens them with respect to their internal marks.

The fresh incidents occurred a day after Kerala Education Minister C Raveendranath visited the family of Jishnu (18), who allegedly committed suicide at Nehru College of Engineering in Pampady, Thrissur district.

Jishnu was found hanging in the hostel bathroom last week with the fellow students alleging that college authorities had harassed him after he was caught for ‘copying’ in an examination.