A student’s death triggered protests at Rajasthan Technical University (RTU) in Kota, with police resorting to force to disperse agitating students after the demonstration escalated on Thursday.
The first-year information technology student from Jaipur was found dead in his hostel room. Students alleged that he died of a snakebite on the campus. Police attempted to persuade the students to end their protest, but when they refused to disperse, force was used. He added that several rounds of talks were held, following which the vice-chancellor agreed to some of the demands. Police assured them that the circumstances surrounding the student’s death would be investigated impartially.
The university administration said he may have suffered a cardiac arrest. The exact cause of death will be established after the postmortem report, officials said. Officials said the situation became difficult to control after some students allegedly began throwing stones. Additional police superintendent Subhash Chandra Mishra said the protesters demanded that the vice-chancellor come to the spot so they could present their demands. Mishra said no agreement was reached on all demands, but the students eventually called off their protest.
