MIT student’s death leads to intense protest

MIT student’s death leads to intense protest

Mangalore Today News Network

Manipal, March 16, 2012 : The students of Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), which forms part of the Manipal University, organized a protest partly on MIT premises and partly on Manipal University premises against the death of Ishaan Nilani, an MIT student. Over 4,000 students participated in the protest.

 

 

 

For nearly 4 hours, the protesting students yelled slogans against Kumkum Garg, the director of MIT, and demanded her immediate resignation. They dispersed only when K. Ramnarayan, the vice chancellor of Manipal University, announced the resignation of Ms. Garg.

A III year IT student told reporters that Ishaan Nilani, a II year EEE student from Rajasthan, fell off the college bus, which was taking students from their hostels to MIT. Allegedly, Ishaan fell because of overcrowding and rash driving on the part of the driver. He was admitted to KMC with head injuries and died on Thursday.

Alleging that the bus driver is responsible for the death of Ishaan, the student said that the driver was neither arrested nor punished. Stating that the college buses are always overcrowded and that the bus doors are never closed and that the drivers drive rashly, the student said that the college administration is least bothered about the requirements of the students.

A V year student and an MIT employee said that Ms. Garg’s insensitive remarks about the deceased sparked off the protest.

G. K. Prabhu, the registrar of Manipal University, stated that Ishaan died of head injuries in KMC and that Ms. Garg has apologized for the insensitive remarks she made. He also promised that the management will carefully consider student demands in future.