19-year-old dies after falling off 6th floor; Gitam varsity officials booked

Police booked 8, including Gitam University's VC, after a student's death from falling off an under-construction hostel building in Karnataka.

The police have booked eight people, including the vice-chancellor of Gitam University in Nagadenahalli village of Doddaballapura town following the death of a student, said police on Thursday.

The hostel is being built till the 13th floor. (HT)

On March 12, Dasari Brahmasai Reddy (19) from Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, died after allegedly falling off the 6th floor of the University’s under-construction hostel. Police said, the students were staying on the lower floors of the hostel.

“The student fell off the 6th floor of the under-construction building around 7.30pm on Tuesday. The hostel is being constructed till the 13th floor. We sent the body for an autopsy after which we handed it over to the family members,” said inspector Sadik Pasha from Doddaballapura rural police.

On Wednesday, the victim’s father Dasari Venkata Shiva Reddy filed a complaint against the University and hostel’s authorities.

“Neither my son was suffering from depression nor he was under any kind of mental stress. We suspect a foul play in this death and urge a thorough investigation and subsequent action against the college management. Even after the fall, the college authorities did not respond immediately to save his life,” he alleged.

Based on the complaint, the police said, they booked the University’s vice-chancellor Acharya, president Bharat, contractor of the hostel building Munikrishna, construction in-charge Vijay Baskar, security in-charge Vijay Gajji and Raghavendra, and warden in-charge Tintoo, and Koppaswamy under Section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

“A case has been registered against all the accused for negligence. The management carried on the construction work at the hostel without taking any precautionary measures and not appointing a sufficient security guards to prevent students from entering the construction site,” added inspector Sadik Pasha.

When contacted Vijay, the director of Gitam University, he stated that “We also don’t know the reason behind the death. Police are investigating the case.”