Dalit JNU scholar found dead, family demands CBI probe

Fourteen months after the suicide of Hyderabad University research scholar Rohith Vemula set off a Dalit rights movement in various campuses and regions across India, a Dalit student who had been part of that struggle was found dead here on Monday with the police treating it a case of suicide as well.

27-year-old Muthu Krishnan, an M Phil student at JNU's Centre for Historical studies, hanged himself on Monday from a ceiling fan at his friend's residence in South Delhi's Munirka area, police said. However, his family from Tamil Nadu was not ready to accept police's version that he committed suicide.

In a Facebook post on March 10, Krishnan, who was also known as Rajini Krish, had severely criticised the JNU's amended admission policy for PhD and MPhil courses.

Krishnan, who hails from Tamil Nadu's Salem district, studied at the Hyderabad University, before joining the JNU and was known to a close friend of Rohit Vemula whose suicide in January last year had triggered a nationwide students unrest.

His body was taken for post-mortem to AIIMS on Monday and the premier hospital has constituted a five-member board to conduct the autopsy and issued direction for videography of the procedure which will be carried out on Wednesday.

The decision by AIIMS to form the board came after the student's family members along with some politicians from Congress, AIADMK and DMK and a few JNU students visited the hospital demanding transparency in the autopsy.

"My son cannot commit suicide. He was very strong and confident. We want a CBI probe to be conducted and actual reason behind his death be revealed," said Jeevanandam, Krishnan's father.

He also demanded registration of an FIR under the SC/ST Act.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced a solatium of Rs 3 lakh to Krishnan's family.