From CK Nayak
New Delhi: The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo moto note of the alleged suicide by Ms Dana Silva M Sangma under mysterious circumstances and set up a high-level committee headed by Chairperson Ms Wansuk Syiem to enquire into the tragic incident, pin point responsibility and punish the guilty.
The four-member committee has to submit its report within ten days, a notification from the Commission said. Besides bringing the culprits to book, the committee will also suggest remedial measures so that such terrible incident do not recur.
The probe team visited the campus on Friday evening to interview the students and gather relevant information pertaining to the incident for further deliberation on the matter.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Achik Youth Association (DAYA) has strongly criticised the University authority for trying to cover the real truth which led to this tragic incident.
“We fail to understand how she (Dana) was caught for cheating when she was sitting in the front row. The invigilator herself has written officially that her mobile was found switched on inside her pocket so how was she cheating,” DAYA president Fleming Ch Marak said in a statement.
Incidentally, Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma is arriving in the national capital on Sunday. He is likely to pursue the case too.
Meanwhile, police have registered a case under Section 306 of the IPC and the Scheduled castes/Scheduled Tribes Act against the staff and management of Amity University. Dana’s mobile phone and her answer sheet have also been seized, the police said.
Police are investigating the circumstances that prompted the girl to take the extreme step.
Meanwhile, a team from the Meghalaya House visited the University and hostel for an on-the-spot assessment.
No arrest has been made so far.
Due to the sensitivity of the case, the investigation has been handed over to Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ravinder Tomar, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Delhi) Hamid Akhtar.
Dr Sangma, had described his niece’s suicide as a “result of discrimination” by the authorities of the institute.
Incidentally, Dr Sangma himself had raised the concern in the meeting of the state chief ministers held earlier this month. He had suggested that the national capital should be sensitive to people from all parts of the country especially the Northeast.
However, Savita Mehta, Vice-President of Ritnand Balved Education Foundation which runs the Amity Institute, said the entire staff of the institute have great affection and love for all students, particularly those who hail from remote parts of the country. There is no discrimination against any student, she asserted.
A candlelight procession was taken out by students of the University in memory of Dana.