J. Muthukrishnan, a 27-year-old Ph.D student of Jawaharlal Nehru University allegedly committed suicide in south Delhi's Munirka Vihar on Monday evening. The student from Tamil Nadu was found hanging from a ceiling fan inside his friend's house.
“He had come to his friend's house this afternoon to have food. He said he wanted to sleep and went inside the room where he locked himself in. Later his friends called him and on getting no response, called police," said ADCP (South) Chinmoy Biswas. The police said they have not found any suicide note so far.
Muthukrishnan belonged to a very poor family from Salem city. His father Jeevanantham is employed as a watchman in a private concern and his mother is daily wage labourer. Muthukrishnan has an elder sister and two younger sisters. The family was informed of the tragedy over the phone by JNU authorities late on Monday.
An inconsolable Mr. Jeevanantham told presspersons that Muthukrishnan had always been very bold and took part in various agitations while doing his M.Phil in Hyderabad.
Father demands probe
Voicing suspicion over the alleged suicide by his son, Mr. Jeevanantham said he [Muthukrishnan] was not a coward to end his life in such a manner. He demanded a proper enquiry to bring the true facts to light.
Mr. Jeevanantham and two of his friends left for Bengaluru by road to catch an early morning flight to New Delhi.
According to his family sources, Muthukrishnan from a Dalit community, completed his Bachelors and Masters in History from the Government Arts College in the city and later did his B.Ed at a private college in Coimbatore. He earned an M. Phil from the University of Hyderabad and joined JNU three years ago for a Ph.D in Modern History.
VCK cadre protest
Following the alleged suicide, cadre of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Untouchability Eradication Front affiliated to the CPI (M) organised a road roko agitation on the Leigh Bazar Road in Salem late on Monday night, demanding a thorough probe into the suspicious death.
