Amid mounting protests by students following the death of a student, 23, at the College of Agriculture, Pune, days after he suffered a severe electric shock from a water cooler on campus; the vice-chancellor (VC) of Mahatma Phule Krushi Vidyapeeth (MPKV), Rahuri, Vilas Kharche, has ordered a detailed inquiry to be conducted by a committee constituted for the purpose, not to mention safety audits to be carried out across all college campuses in 10 districts.
Kharche said, “We have spoken with the protesting students and heard their demands. A committee has been formed under the dean, Mahanand Mane, to conduct a detailed inquiry. Appropriate action will be taken.”
Kharche added that financial support was extended during the deceased, Chaitanya Chavan’s treatment. “Faculty members contributed, and assistance was also received from the chief minister’s relief fund and deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar. The agriculture minister is also trying to extend help to the family,” he said. “We will upgrade facilities across campuses. Fire and structural audits will be conducted. We have colleges in 10 districts, and safety audits have been ordered across all campuses,” he added.
Chavan, 23, a first-year MBA (agriculture business management) student from Ashti in Beed district, had gone to drink water after dinner on March 14 when the incident occurred. According to eyewitnesses, including Prathmesh Changude, a fourth-year B.Sc. agriculture student, the cooling system was not functioning properly and Chavan tried to adjust the plug in the socket. As soon as he touched the tap, he suffered a powerful electric shock. Panic ensued as fellow students struggled to respond. The electricity supply was eventually cut off after which Chavan fell down unconscious. Students pointed out that Chavan was barefoot at the time of the occurrence as footwear is not allowed inside the mess, which likely worsened the impact due to direct contact with the ground.
Chavan was rushed to a private hospital in an unresponsive state. According to the hospital authorities, he was brought to the emergency department without a carotid pulse and with no spontaneous breathing. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was immediately initiated. Doctors noted that his initial cardiac rhythm was ventricular tachycardia, and multiple defibrillation shocks were administered. He was intubated and treated as per advanced cardiac life support protocol. No external entry or exit wounds were found. An MRI later suggested hypoxic brain injury, and he remained on mechanical ventilation. After battling death for nearly 10 days, Chavan finally gave in at 1.11 pm on Tuesday. “The exact cause of death will be confirmed after a post-mortem examination,” a police official said.
{{/usCountry}}Chavan was rushed to a private hospital in an unresponsive state. According to the hospital authorities, he was brought to the emergency department without a carotid pulse and with no spontaneous breathing. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was immediately initiated. Doctors noted that his initial cardiac rhythm was ventricular tachycardia, and multiple defibrillation shocks were administered. He was intubated and treated as per advanced cardiac life support protocol. No external entry or exit wounds were found. An MRI later suggested hypoxic brain injury, and he remained on mechanical ventilation. After battling death for nearly 10 days, Chavan finally gave in at 1.11 pm on Tuesday. “The exact cause of death will be confirmed after a post-mortem examination,” a police official said.
{{/usCountry}}Chavan’s death has exposed serious lapses in safety infrastructure, triggering protests by students who alleged long-standing negligence on the part of the administration.
Changude said students had been raising safety concerns for the past two years, but no action was taken. “We have been protesting since morning for our senior Chaitanya. On March 14, he suffered an electric shock at the water cooler due to mismanagement by the college authorities. He was in hospital and died on Tuesday. This is a complete failure of the administration. We have been continuously submitting complaints about such issues, but they were ignored. This tragic death is the result,” he said.
Another student, Om Jadhav, said, “There is a rule that footwear is not allowed inside the mess. If he had been wearing footwear, things might have been different. But the shock was extremely severe and affected his brain. One of our friends gave him CPR immediately and he briefly regained consciousness before being taken to hospital. We hold the authorities responsible and are demanding immediate suspension of those concerned. The VC met us today, but our protest will continue until action is taken.”
Students have been holding peaceful demonstrations, demanding a fair investigation, accountability, and improved safety measures.