Telangana student death: Four IIIT-Basara students named in FIR over violent protests

The police intervened to bring the situation under control and that is when, according to Challa Praveen Kumar, Superintendent of Police of Nirmal district, one of their vehicles was damaged.

“Some of the students had damaged a police vehicle during the protest on Tuesday. We have identified them and it amounts to charges under the Prevention of Damages to Public Property (PDPP) Act. Four students are named in the FIR,” Kumar told indianexpress.com.

He also said the investigation in the case is progressing.

As the students continued to boycott classes Wednesday, Nirmal District Collector Musharraf Ali Faruqui appointed a three-member committee to look into the student’s death by suicide.

The police suspect personal reasons drove Rathod to end his life. They are analysing his mobile phone, call data records, WhatsApp chats, and emails.

The Osmania University Joint Action Committee (OUJAC) called for a state-wide bandh Wednesday accusing the government of apathy, which it said led to Rathod taking the extreme step. The OUJAC also demanded Rs 1 crore as compensation to the deceased student’s family and a government job for a family member. On Wednesday evening, students held a candlelight march on campus to express condolences to Rathod’s family.

According to students, there were no ambulances available on campus after Rathod’s body was found and blamed the administration for the death. The body was brought to the varsity health clinic by the students themselves and later taken to Nirmal district hospital in an ambulance. The administration earlier told indianexpress.com that one of the two ambulances had gone to the district hospital to get an employee admitted and another had rushed to a student who had fallen in the bathroom to another hospital.

The IIIT-Basara administration said four counsellors have been designated to address the issues faced by students.