Unable to digest the alleged humiliation meted out to him by some of his teachers, Prakash, a Dalit student, pursuing ceramic design course in Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai, allegedly ended his life by hanging near his residence in Vellore district on October 25.
Since then, the parents - Parthiban and Senthamarai - have been running from pillar to post seeking justice.
Speaking to reporters at the office of Evidence, an NGO working for the cause of Dalit rights, here on Tuesday, the couple said that they had spent everything on their child’s education and were homeless.
“Prakash was a brilliant student and twice he bagged the best student award from the college,” his father Parthiban, who works as a staff in Government Hospital, said.
Since the family was poor, Prakash travelled from his home in Vellore to Chennai daily and returned. From his childhood, he used to show interest in painting, drawing and arts. Passing out in flying colours in the entrance exam to the college, Prakash, who had a dream and vision to make it big in his life, always worked hard.
His works were unique and lauded by his faculty, Senthamarai said and added: “When things looked bright for the family, trouble started some six months ago. When Prakash complained about humiliation by his faculty Ravikumar and two others, we were shell-shocked...”
She charged, weeping uncontrollably: “Not a day ended on a peaceful note for my son in his class since then. On some occasion, the faculty, even named my son by caste and teased him in the presence of his classmates,” she alleged.
Evidence Executive Director A. Kathir said that over a month had passed but the police had not taken any steps to conduct a probe despite the fact that some videos and the suicide note accusing the professor were handed over to the police. Initially, the police had registered a case of unnatural death. Only after the Vellore police was briefed on the seriousness, they added Section 306 of IPC (abetment of suicide).
The Evidence has demanded the arrest of the faculty members, compensation to the family and action against the accused for abusing the student under SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, he noted.
