A student from the Government Engineering College in Bodinayakanur, Theni district, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his hostel room. The deceased, S. Vignesh, a third-year Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) student, was discovered in the hostel’s restroom on 13 February 2025. His father, a daily wage laborer from Palayamkottai taluk, was informed about his son’s death and was troubled by conflicting statements from the college administration and hostel warden regarding the cause.
The college initially reported that Vignesh had suffered a seizure, while another version suggested he had been bitten by ants. However, the family raised doubts after noticing blood in the restroom and multiple injury marks on Vignesh’s body, suggesting the possibility of an attack with sharp objects. The Theni police also reportedly expressed suspicions about the circumstances surrounding his death.
The relatives and members of the Tamilaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK), who gathered to protest, demanded a fair investigation into the matter. They pointed out that the hostel was located about 2 km from the college, with a TASMAC shop situated just 100 meters away. They also highlighted previous student complaints about the presence of unknown individuals around the hostel and the use of narcotics, which were allegedly ignored by the college administration.
The protesters called for the death to be registered as a murder and for the hostel warden and college principal to be named in the FIR under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. They also requested a thorough inquiry involving students who were with Vignesh, a video recording of the postmortem, and family presence during the process.
//Petitioners said that initially the college administration stated that #Vignesh suffered a seizure inside the restroom, while another version suggested he had been bitten by ants//
TIRUNELVELI: After a student of a government engineering college died under mysterious… pic.twitter.com/VOj6GLYSdT
— Thinakaran Rajamani (@thinak_) February 18, 2025
Further, they demanded the closure of the college hostel due to safety concerns and requested a government job for Vignesh’s family member, along with a compensation of Rs 25 lakh from the state government. The protestors also appealed to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to order a CBI investigation into the case.
(With inputs from The New Indian Express)
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