With its interim probe on the suicide of Anju P. Shaji unearthing several lapses on the part of BVM Holy Cross College, Mahatma Gandhi University has relieved the college Principal of all examination-related duties till further orders.
Sabu Thomas, Vice Chancellor, said Principal Fr. N.V. Joseph Njarakkattil, as chief superintendent of the examination, had unnecessarily made the girl remain in her seat for an additional 32 minutes even after seizing the answer sheets and hall ticket for alleged malpractice. This might have put her under severe mental duress. This situation could have been avoided
‘Avoidable situation’
“Upon detecting the malpractice, she should have been taken to the Principal’s chamber immediately and permitted to go home after recording her statement,” Mr. Thomas said.
Contrary to the claims by the college authorities that the Principal had left the exam hall immediately after collecting Anju’s answer sheets, the inquiry by a three-member subcommittee of the Syndicate revealed that the Principal had indeed spoken to the girl for nearly 10 minutes on that occasion. It further found fault with a decision of the college authorities to release the CCTV visuals from the examination hall in the public domain. “Releasing the footage without permission was indeed a serious error,” Mr. Thomas added.
Final report
According to the VC, any further action on the issue will be based on a final report submitted by the Syndicate subcommittee. “The final report will be prepared through a long and meticulous process, which includes verification of the student’s hall ticket and answer scripts, besides interviewing students who sat near her in the exam hall,” said the official.
The interim probe also found that the college authorities had failed to collect the address and phone number of the student after the incident. “When she was finally permitted to leave the examination hall, nobody bothered to check where she was actually heading to,” said a university official.
