A day after 20-year-old commerce undergraduate student Anju P Shaji's body was recovered from Meenachil River in Kottayam, her father P D Shaji has raised serious allegations against officials of the BVM Holy Cross College, Anju's final semester examination centre.
He alleged that college officials have tampered with the CCTV footage to establish that Anju had cheated in the examination. “The notes on her hall ticket (which the college officials produced as a proof for cheating) were not written by Anju,” he told reporters in Kottayam on Tuesday.
Anju, a student of a private institution in Kanjirappally, was believed to have committed suicide by jumping into Meenachil River.
She went missing on Saturday. Earlier in the day, the college principal and invigilator had stopped her from writing the examination, alleging that she attempted to copy answers from another piece of paper, and confiscated the answer sheets and hall ticket. She left college after waiting for 45 minutes. Her body was recovered on Monday.
Anju's body was cremated in the backyard of her home in Kanjirapally after autopsy at Kottayam Medical College.
On Tuesday, Shaji lodged a complaint against the invigilator and principal with Kottayam District Police Chief G Jaidev. “The principal should be arrested,” he demanded.
The police said they would analyse the handwritten notes on the back of Anju's hall ticket to ascertain whether it was written the deceased girl.
Meanwhile, the BVM College officials said they have submitted detailed report into the incident to the Mahatma Gandhi University. “The report has been submitted,” said college vice-principal Loju K Joey and Bursar Fr Joseph Mundackal.
The State Human Rights Commission and Kerala State Youth Commission are also looking into the issue. Earlier, the Kerala Women's Commission had registered a suo motu case into the death.
Meanwhile, the Mahatma Gandhi University has appointed a three-member committee to probe the incident.
Protests before cremation
When Anju's body was brought home on Tuesday, her family members and local people stopped political leaders and police officials demanding justice for Anju.
They alleged that police have been trying to destroy evidence. They said police did not show Anju's body to Shaji immediately after it was recovered and it reeked of suspicion.
Independent MLA from Poonjar, P C George pacified the crowd and offered his support to ensure justice for Anju.
“I would stage hunger strike if the investigation was not conducted properly,” he told them.
