Gandhi Engineering College student found hanging in hostel, protest erupts alleging ragging

Tension erupted at a private engineering college under the Infovalley police limits in Bhubaneswar after the body of a first-year BTech student was found hanging inside his hostel room under suspicious circumstances on Friday.

The deceased has been identified as Satya Sarathi of Bhadrak district.

According to police sources, the student was found hanging inside his hostel room, which was locked from the inside. Police have seized the body and sent it for postmortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of death. Preliminary investigation suggests suicide.

However, the incident triggered massive unrest on the campus, with students alleging that Satya took the extreme step due to ragging by senior students. 

Agitated students went on a rampage, damaging college property and staging protests outside the campus, accusing the college authorities of negligence and cover-up.

They further claimed that similar incidents of harassment had occurred in the past, but the Gandhi Engineering College management had allegedly suppressed them. 

Following the unrest, a large police force has been deployed on the campus to maintain law and order and prevent further violence.

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While the post-mortem report is still awaited, police said a detailed investigation is underway into the circumstances leading to the student’s death.

No comments from the college authorities could be obtained over the matter.