Anna University student Jothi's suicide row snowballs

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on September 9, 2010:

CHENNAI: A fact-finding team of the Arunthathiyar Human Rights Forum (AHRF) on Wednesday claimed that M Jothi, a first-year engineering student from the community who committed suicide at her village a few days ago, was forced to take the extreme step due to ill-treatment meted out to her on the college campus.

Taking suo motu cognizance of the incident, the four-member AHRF team, including a woman, visited Jothi’s village Mullukurichi near Namagiripettai in Namakkal on Monday and conducted an inquiry into the events that led to the suicide.

Speaking to Express, K Kumar, a team member, said, “After speaking to about 200 families in the village, including the victim’s, it became evident that she was ill-treated at Anna University because of her community and her classmates ragged her.”

Elaborating the findings, Kumar said, “For two weeks before she committed suicide, Jothi had been calling her father Mathavan, a driver, and brother Deepak and informing them about the ill-treatment.”

Out of desperation, Jothi also contacted her neighbour (at the village), who helped her to continue education, and informed her about her plight, Kumar said.

The fact-finding team also found that Jothi hadn’t initially intended to visit her village. But the humiliation forced her to come home to meet her family.

According to Jothi’s brother Deepak, ever since she returned home, she was in a state of trauma and continued weeping the whole day.

A two-page report with recommendations seeking immediate action against those students who drove her to take the extreme step would be handed over to the Namakkal district collector on Thursday, Kumar said.