JNU VC condemned over condolence tweet

New Delhi, March 14 (IANS) The JNU Students Union (JNUSU) castigated the varsity Vice Chancellor (VC) on Tuesday for not meeting the parents of a student who committed suicide, but rather conveying his condolences on social media.

"It's been hours a Dalit student of our university found dead and we are shocked and appalled by the insensitivity shown by the university authorities ever since," JNUSU Vice President Amal Pullarkat said through a Facebook post.

"Leave alone consoling the family and helping them to go through the procedure, the university authorities haven't even bothered to pay a visit to the hospital where the body of the deceased is lying since last night (Monday)," he added.

Earlier in the day, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) VC M. Jagadesh Kumar had taken to micro-blogging site Twitter to express his grief at the death of Krish Rajini whose real name was Muthukrishnan J, an M.Phil History student of the varsity, who had apparently committed suicide on March 13 and who was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his friend's house.

"JNU community is grief stricken at untimely and sad demise of Shri Muthukrishnan J. We pray that God be with his family at this critical time," Kumar had tweeted.

The Union continued its attack saying that the VC did not "even care to send at least a security person with the body (of the deceased)" initially, and a security person could be arranged for only after the former's intervention.

It urged the students to boycott their classes and join in a collective condolence meet and also demanded that the VC go to the hospital and meet Rajini's parents.

"It (is) also quite shocking that university did not even bother to suspend the classes despite such an incident... We appeal to all students to come out of their classes in protest and pay tribute to our friend. Mr. VC, stop tweeting and come to the hospital immediately and listen to the parents' demand," Pullarkat added.