Arunachal Pradesh engineering student found dead in Kerala

An Arunachal Pradesh native studying at an engineering college in Kothamangalam near here has been found dead in the room of a rented house, police said on Sunday, August 16. 

Higher Education Minister Roji M John told reporters that a detailed probe will be conducted into the incident.

The deceased was identified as Michi Marpu (20), of Naharlagun in the Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh, a B Tech student at MA College of Engineering, Kothamangalam.

According to police, Marpu was found lying on the floor with a rope tied around his neck at the rented house where he lived with his college mates at Kozhipilly near Kothamangalam on Saturday evening.

Though he was rushed to the Kothamangalam Taluk Hospital, doctors declared him dead, police said.

Police suspect that Marpu had attempted to hang himself from the roof of the room, but the rope broke, following which he was found lying on the floor.

A three-page suicide note, written in English and Hindi, was also recovered from his room, police said. However, there was no immediate information.

Police said Marpu may have taken the extreme step, fearing he would lose a year due to a low academic credit score.

However, a detailed probe is required to ascertain the circumstances leading to his death, police said.

Students at the college have decided to stage a protest, alleging that the minimum credit requirement at the college is higher than at other engineering colleges in the state.

SFI and KSU leaders at the college told reporters that as the institution follows an autonomous scheme, it has set the minimum credit requirement at 22 credits, compared to 18 in those affiliated to Kerala Technological University (KTU).

They said that even after the year-back system was suspended by KTU, it is still implemented at MA College of Engineering.

There was no immediate reaction from the college.

Police said the postmortem would be conducted after the relatives of the deceased reach Kothamangalam.

Kothamangalam police have registered a case of unnatural death and are conducting an investigation.

Meanwhile, minister John said the death of the student was an unfortunate incident and assured that a proper investigation would be conducted.

"In any case, a student committing suicide in this manner is deeply unfortunate. A proper investigation will be conducted into this. At the department level, I will contact the university and officially request them to conduct an inquiry into the matter," he told reporters.

John said he had already contacted the District Police Chief.

"The police have registered a case, and the deceased student's family members will arrive today. In their presence, inquest procedures and the post-mortem will be completed, and the police will conduct a thorough investigation," John added.

He said the student had reportedly been evicted from the hostel and had to stay in a paying guest accommodation outside the campus after being affected by the year-back system.

"It is reported that around 20 students in the same college face a similar year-back situation. This directly affects the future of these students".

When such issues arise, colleges must exercise greater care in handling young students, John said.

"If there are such students, colleges should provide counselling, contact their parents, brief their families, and take all necessary precautions to prevent students from being pushed into such tragic situations," he said.

John said the year-back system was introduced in 2024 during the previous government's tenure, following a decision by the then Board of Studies of KTU.

According to the decision, a student who does not earn the required credits in the fifth semester would be placed a year back.

The decision made in 2024 was to be implemented in 2026. Accordingly, it came into effect this year for students entering the fifth semester, he said.

"After this government came into power, this issue was brought to our attention. After reconstitution of the Board of Studies, the Syndicate met, and in its very first meeting, KTU decided to postpone or avoid the year-back system for this year," he said.

According to that decision, all colleges under KTU should follow the system, he said.

However, as an autonomous college, MA College of Engineering, Kothamangalam, exercised the authority vested with its Academic Council and decided to continue with the year-back system, the minister said.

"Students from that college had contacted me, and I had also contacted the college administration requesting a re-examination of the system. Everyone is aware of the situation in which the university re-examined it and withdrew it. However, the college was not prepared to withdraw it," John said.

He said universities and colleges have autonomy in academic matters and the government does not interfere in such decisions.

"However, all decisions whether by the university or colleges must keep the students' future in mind, ensuring their life and safety. Decisions should be humane, taking into account the mental state and age of the students," he added.

He said the year-back system was originally introduced to ensure quality and improve the pass percentage in colleges, as KTU's current pass percentage is close to or below 60 per cent.

He said that complaints received indicated that students and parents were not clearly aware of the system and that the communication had not reached them properly, John said.