Higher Education Minister Roji M John on Monday said that arrangements were underway to transport the body of the engineering student, who died by suicide, to his native place in Arunachal Pradesh. The deceased has been identified as Michi Marpu, 20, a native of Naharlagun in Papum Pare district, Arunachal Pradesh. He was a third-year BTech student at Mar Athanasius College of Engineering (MACE) in Kothamangalam.

According to the Kothamangalam police, Marpu was found hanging at a rented residence at around 4.30 pm. His friends found him and rushed him to the Kothamangalam Taluk Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Following his death, students alleged that he had been distressed over the college's credit system.

Speaking to the media on Monday, the minister said he had been in touch with Marpu's family. He said arrangements to transport the body to Arunachal Pradesh after the post-mortem examination would be made based on the family's preference.

“There is a connectivity issue. The body would have to be taken to Delhi, from where it would be connected to Itanagar,” the minister said. “They say it could take two or three days,” he added.

“We can transport the body by flight or train. The family will let us know what they prefer,” he said.

The minister also said that the police had recorded statements of the family and that their request to speak with the investigating officers had been conveyed to the authorities.

He added that the family wished to maintain their privacy and did not want to come before the public. However, they wanted Marpu's body to be kept for public viewing so that his friends and college mates could pay their respects. They also requested privacy during the viewing, the minister said.

Addressing concerns raised by students over the college's year-back policy and credit system, the minister said discussions were under way and that not all the issues had been resolved.

Marpu's death has triggered protests on the MACE campus, with students demanding that the management address their concerns over the credit system.

Students alleged that Marpu had been distressed over the system. They claimed that while the minimum credit requirement for continuing studies at other engineering colleges in the state is 18, MACE has set the requirement at 22.

They further alleged that students who fail to meet the requirement are forced to take a year break, while the college offers little support to those facing academic difficulties. Students from outside Kerala, they said, face additional challenges, including language barriers.

The police have registered a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in connection with the unnatural death and launched an investigation.