Jishnu Pranoy was trapped: Special probe team

THRISSUR: The special investigation team (SIT) probing the suicide of Jishnu Pranoy of Nehru College of Engineering and Research Centre at Pampady last month has found the first-year B.Tech student took the extreme step after he was subjected to severe physical and mental torture at the college after he was trapped by the management on false charge of copying. The management hatched a conspiracy against Pranoy as he was at the forefront of the protests at the college over APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University’s decision to conduct examinations on short notice, the team said in a report submitted to the judicial first class magistrate here on Monday. The investigation team said the invigilator along with vice-principal and exam cell coordinator assaulted Jishnu severely at the college after he was “caught” copying.

The management had a grouse with Pranoy on some other internal college issues also, it said, adding that the charges of peeping into another student’s answer sheet was put on him by the examination invigilator as part of a ploy. According to the SIT report sourced from top police officials here, principal of the college S. Varadarajan was opposed to the conspiracy to trap the student, who had excellent leadership qualities and was doing well in academics as well. The SIT arraigned managing trustee of Nehru group of institutions P. Krishnadas as the first accused as he directed vice-principal K .N. Sakthivel to trap Jishnu. SIT has now identified as many as five accused in the case.

“Krishnadas is the main accused and we have not yet prepared the order of the other accused,” Thrissur rural police chief N. Vijayakumar told DC. “Jishnu had not copied, going by the statements of Jishnu Raj, from whose answer sheet Jishnu allegedly copied, and the statements of other students.”  When Jishnu was brought to the principal’s room over false charges of copying, Mr Varadarajan told the college staff, who trapped Jishnu, that no such copying as alleged has not happened and he refused to report it to the university, he said.

The other accused in the case as per the report are Satkhivel, examination invigilator at Jishnu’s examination hall C.P. Praveen, and exam cell coordinator Vivin. Even though Sanjit K. Viswanath, the PRO of the college, is facing allegations of tampering with evidence at the college hostel were Jishnu was found hanging in the bathroom on January 6, top cops refused to confirm such allegations. It is learnt that he is also one among the accused in the case. All the accused were asked to report for questioning by the SIT on Sunday, but did not turn up. Police said that all of them are absconding and search was on from them in and out of the state.