Violence leads to closure of Tamil Nadu's Annamalai University - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

The Annamalai University at Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu has been closed indefinitely due to violence on the campus following the death of some students. "There was an instance of vandalism in the name of a students protest at the Examination Building and Raja Muthiah Medical College Hospital. Hooligan elements attacked the doctors and many others, including waiting patients, injuring the legs of a couple of doctors. All these developments have forced us to ask nearly 8500 students to vacate their hostels since the university is closed for the time being. Necessary arrangements have been made for the students to return to their homes, in cooperation with the railways," said Dr. M Ramanathan, Vice Chancellor of Annamalai University, here on Thursday. Consequent to the suspension of the classes and closure of academic institutions, the varsity authorities have asked the students to vacate their respective hostels. Tension had gripped the university campus since Sunday, when Gautam Kumar, an engineering student hailing from Ranchi, allegedly died due to lack of proper treatment, after his two-wheeler collided with a truck. Following his death, some of students went to meet Dr. M Ramanathan, Vice Chancellor of the University, to complain about the lack of proper medicare for Kumar. The students were prevented from meeting Dr. Ramanathan and brutally chased away by the police deployed in the campus. In the melee, some students drowned in a canal. The three dead students were identified as Sumit Kumar of Jharkhand and Mohammad Sarfaraz and Ashish Rajan Kumar. Kumar was from Jharkhand, while Sarfaraz and Ashish were from Bihar.