Periyar V-C candidate commits suicide

Angamuthu was accused of irregularities

The former Registrar of the Periyar University in Salem and one of the contenders for the post of the Vice-Chancellor of the university, K. Angamuthu, 58, committed suicide at his residence in Perundurai here on Monday.

According to the police, after his wife Vijayalakshmi left for work, Mr. Angamuthu consumed over 10 sleeping pills, and his domestic help, who found him foaming at the mouth, alerted his wife around 9.45 a.m. He was taken to the Government Hospital in Perundurai and later shifted to a private hospital in Erode. However, he died around 3.10 p.m.

Mr. Angamuthu was shortlisted among the top 10 candidates by the three-member Vice-Chancellor search panel, headed by former Additional Chief Secretary T.S. Sridhar.

Recruitment row

The inclusion of Angamuthu’s name in the list had raised eyebrows in the educational and political circles, due to allegations of irregularities against him over the recruitment of staff in 2012-13.

University sources said that when he demitted the office of the Registrar, Angamuthu reportedly failed to hand over the files concerning the recruitment process to the then Registrar in-charge. When the Registrar issued notice to him, asking for the missing files, Angamuthu reportedly said that he had handed them over to the Registrar in-charge, who denied the same.

The Syndicate of the university, during a meeting held on November 13, was said to have questioned Angamuthu over the missing files. University sources said that the Registrar on Saturday preferred a complaint to the Commissioner of Police against Angamuthu over the missing files. Police sources said the city police had not registered an FIR on the complaint, as it was busy with the Governor’s visit.

Those with suicidal tendency can contact the State’s health helpline 104 or Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050 for counselling.