A student of MACFAST college committed suicide. The suicide note said, her college management asked her to buy a new laptop, cos her old laptop got stolen. Is that reason enough to end ones life ? I dont know maybe it is.
SFI attacked the college. Typical response from an irresponsible student organisation. College authorities taken to police station for questioning. Law takes its route. Newspaper publish the news as if they got a scoop. Anything against self financing colleges will sell in Kerala.
In 2004 another girl committed suicide. Rajani S Anand. She was a student of College of Engineering Adoor, an unfortunate Semi private, semi government college, of which I was also a student of. Our poor principle, who joined the college only months after Rajani left the college was crucified. He lived under police protection for weeks.
I was final year then, and I know what exactly had happened. But the irresponsible media reports blamed the college and the authorities. We as students were not allowed to speak the truth. We tried to do a press conference and we got threats over the phone, as it would be against the already spread propaganda.
The biggest media culprit - MalayalaManorama
Check out the news report in Hindu, another well respected newspaper.
Her father, Sivanandan, quietly sobs as he recounts his beloved daughter’s relentless efforts which helped her secure admission to the engineering college at Adoor. “She used to burn the midnight oil. Having cleared the Plus Two course with distinction, she had her sights set on the MBBS. She finally settled for engineering, as it would entail less financial burden on the family. Since we could not afford to send her to a coaching institute, she relied on used books procured from other students and cleared the entrance examination”.
There are factual mistakes in this report and If I were to point them out, I would be insulting a dead soul. Its a serious crime to insult the dead. But torturing the living is not at all a problem. Also see the tone of reporting. Its written to provoke emotion.
After a few days the hindu business line reports.
The media in Kerala displayed a dismal level of biased, emotive and unprofessional reporting in the way it handled the Rajani episode. Most reports - especially in the local dailies and television channels - were more of editorials that outright cast aspersions on all and sundry, beginning with leads that accused the criminal and pronounced the verdict in a trial, as it were, rather than sticking to the old and trusted, unprejudiced method of reporting who did what, where, when, how and why.
For instance, how many in the media followed up - or scooped in advance - the claim of Cherian Scaria, Principal of the College of Engineering, Adoor, that Rajani had never been asked to remit any tuition fee since her fee used to be remitted in time by the Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes Welfare Department?
The principal said Rajani had not been attending classes since August 7, and the college had not received any application for her transfer certificate so far. Since the college did not have a hostel facility for girls, Rajani was reportedly staying at a private hostel in Adoor. Being a scheduled caste student, she received Rs 2,314 as stipend on June 9, 2003 and the stipend for the current academic year, Rs 2,410, was sanctioned on April 1, 2004. But nobody had turned up to receive the money, he added.
Are these claims true? If so, what is the role of the State and the college management in the tragic death of Rajani?
Did anyone try to find out the truth. The bitter truth, that would make all the protests, all the property destruction. all the emotional out cry look stupid. No one will ever will. Our poor college lost quite a lot of money repairing the damages done by the attackers. Our principles life got screwed settling the case against him.
Who gained ? The political vultures use her photograph in every occasion they can. Check out the trivandrum streets.
Coming back to the new suicide case. I have a very humble request to the media and student organisations. Please try to find out the truth before you act or publish. Please dont screw other people lives.
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