Student drowns after campus gang chases him
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Chennai, September 01 2011:
In a horrifying incident of campus violence, a student of an arts college in Chennai was chased into the Adyar river, pelted with stones as he tried to get back to the riverbank, and left to drown by a group of fellow students.
His body was recovered from the Adyar on Tuesday.
Classmates said the gang chased 21-year-old K Thanikaivel into the river.
The police have registered a case of "suspicious death" but have made no arrests so far.
Thanikaivel's classmates, said he was chased by a group after a quarrel over an anti-corruption protest in which he refused to participate.
Some 20 students chased him.
When he failed to turn up until Monday evening, his friends informed the family and they lodged a complaint at Saidapet police station.
On Tuesday morning, they found his body in the river.
The body was sent to Government hospital in Royapettah for postmortem.
"We will get the autopsy report on Wednesday.
We are waiting for the doctor's report to continue our investigation," said Adyar deputy commissioner of police K A Senthilvelan.
Police said there were no external injuries on the body.
Two groups of students quarreled inside the college on Monday.
"One group overpowered the other.
They then targeted Thanikaivel as he was the leader, and chased him into the river," said Prakash, quoting eyewitnesses.
"When Thanikaivel fainted, the students returned to the college leaving him in the river," said Prakash.
Kannappan, who is a retired head constable, has lodged a complaint with the Saidapet police demanding a probe.