Students protested for Sushant Rohilla who committed suicide due to alleged harassment by administration
Highlights
- Sushant Rohilla, 21, killed himself after punishment for low attendance
- Rohilla's family says reason for low attendance was fractured leg
- 75% attendance mandatory, 5% relief on medical grounds: University
Nearly a hundred students and alumni held a protest outside Noida's Amity Law School today for 21-year-old Sushant Rohilla, a fourth year student who committed suicide on August 10, allegedly because the university debarred him from giving exams due to low attendance.
Seventy-five per cent attendance is mandatory for the college, which comes under Guru Gobind Indraprastha University. Other students, too, have been debarred from sitting for exams due to attendance shortage.
Mr Rohilla's family says the reason for his low attendance was a fractured leg. "The university administration did not acknowledge his pleas," said Mehak, Sushant Rohilla's sister. While he left a suicide note, it does not explain the reason for taking his life.
But in an email written to the Amity founder Dr Ashok Chauhan on May 11, the student wrote, "I will not be able to mentally survive this if I am debarred".
Mehak told NDTV, "It was only after his death that we started getting calls and messages from students and alumni of Amity saying that the college harasses students in this way. We're going to take action against the college and the University".
Of the 19 students who have been debarred, a second year student, Dhruv Rajpal, suffered from chicken pox and faces a similar situation.
University authorities assert that only 5 per cent concession is granted for medical leave. The Indraprastha University Registrar, SK Tanwar, said, "The University Ordinance and Bar Council guidelines for law colleges state that students must have 75% attendance for each paper. Attendance is condoned for activities like debates, moots etc."
Mr Rohilla's family said he was not given concession for extra-curricular activities, for which he also missed some classes.
Mr Rohilla was the debating society president of his college. His friend Parul added, "The college authorities who attended his cremation told his parents that Sushant was a weak student. He was not a weak student. He came to college on crutches to organise debates."
Keshav Dutta, an alumni, said, "University authorities are partial, students even with 42% attendance have been allowed to give exams".