Engineering student from Arunachal commits suicide in Kothamangalam fearing 'year out' due to low credit score

KOCHI: A second-year engineering student at MA College, Kothamangalam, was found hanging. The deceased has been identified as Michi Marpu, a native of Arunachal Pradesh.

According to reports, Marpu feared he would be declared ‘year out’ due to a shortage of the required academic credits. A note believed to have been written by the student in connection with the incident was also recovered.

Following the incident, students staged a protest against the college. They alleged that the minimum credit requirement in most other engineering colleges is 18, while MA College requires 22 credits. The students also accused the college management of refusing to reduce the required credit score.

Meanwhile, college authorities said they have the authority to decide the credit requirements. They maintained that, as an autonomous institution, the college can set its own academic standards. According to the authorities, the credit requirement was increased in line with industrial standards, and the decision was taken by the Academic Council.