|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 10 November 2002 |
 |
|
 |
News |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Student critic of ragging dies after clash by Anjana Gamage & Don Asoka Wijewardena The Sri Jayawardhanapura University campus remained quiet and out-of-bounds to students yesterday as one of the students critically injured in a brawl over student ragging died in hospital early last morning. A police guard has been posted at the campus and the Mirihana Police said that it was investigating the death as a murder. University Vice Chancellor Professor D. S. Epitawatte, who closed the campus on Friday to prevent further clashes, angrily told the 'Sunday Observer' that, in the context of violence and crude ragging, he felt as if the university had become "a place of butchery". Twenty three-year-old Ovitigala Withanage Samantha, a third-year Commerce undergrad, died as a result of severe injuries he suffered when he and other students protesting against crude ragging methods by fellow students had been suddenly assaulted with sticks and stones. His body is currently awaiting inquest. According to student sources, the students critical of the ragging meted out to 'freshers' had been attacked by gangs students allied to the group currently in control of the Students' Council, which is under heavy JVP influence. Vice Chancellor Epitawatte also charged that students linked to a particular student leadership were the likely attackers. A Student Council representative however told the 'Sunday Observer' that the attack had been by "outside elements". Students of the campus however insisted that it had been a gang of students in favour of ragging who assaulted Samantha and his associates. Samantha (23) died yesterday (9) around 1.00 a.m. at the National Hospital in Colombo. According to the National Hospital sources, another student of the same batch, Indika Aththanayake (23), who was also badly beaten on the head is now treating at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for his head injuries. After visiting the Colombo National Hospital mortuary Prof. Epitawatte, who took over duties as the Vice Chancellor last week, told the 'Sunday Observer': "We could not get the student's body because it's a murder. This is a well planned killing. Those who are identifying themselves as "Student Leaders" of the university are totally responsible for this killing". "What kind of political party is it whose so-called 'student leaders' are very inhumane, no justice and no rationality in their politics. They have proved it by this killing", he said. " I am very angry about the incident. I have instructed the Police to give the maximum punishment to them. My officers have told me that this student misbehaviour has been growing for the last couple of years. The killed student, Samantha is very innocent and he was of the opinion that ragging should not be in the universities. But this is how he got treated for his opinion", the Vice Chancellor pointed out. Director of the Welfare Society of the University Dr. Neville also got injured from the clashes and another four students are being treated at the Kalubowila Hospital. The student clashes flared up on Thursday after a group of students protested the ragging of freshers by another group of students. The director of Student Welfare had tried to negotiate a settlement between the two parties. But the anti-ragging students had allegedly been attacked by recently elected Student Council members when they came out from the room. It is also reported that the dead student Samantha had badly been beaten on the head with a computer monitor. His attackers had prevented him being taken to hospital for nearly an hour. Student O. W. Samantha was a resident of Gangodawila, Kapuwatte, which is close to the University. His elder brother is a student councillor of the same university and elder sister is a final year student at Peradeniya University. Mirihana SP, Mahesh Samaradiwakara told the Sunday Observer that the undergraduate had been attacked by a rival party with clubs, bricks and other objects. He further said that a post-mortem would be held to ascertain the cause of death. When asked about the arrest of any suspects, the SP said that one suspect was arrested and police are on the look out for other suspects in connection with the incident. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
