Kanpur (UP), February 25 The death of a final-year student earlier this week triggered large-scale protests and vandalism at the Pranveer Singh Institute of Technology (PSIT) here on Wednesday, prompting heavy police deployment and the closure of the campus until March 8.
According to officials, thousands of students gathered at the private college campus around 10 am, demanding action over the death of 22-year-old Bachelor of Computer Applications student, Prakhar Singh, a resident of Ratanlal Nagar.
Singh sustained critical injuries on Monday after being hit by a JCB machine, reportedly involved in construction work. He later died during treatment.
As tensions escalated on Wednesday, a section of the crowd allegedly damaged doors, windows, and furniture within the college premises.
Students alleged that the accident occurred due to inadequate safety measures on campus, while the college management maintained that the incident took place outside the campus.
Police personnel from nearby stations, along with the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), were deployed to control the situation.
Senior officers, including Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) S M Qasim Abidi, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Kapil Deo Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Kalyanpur) Ashutosh Kumar, and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Kanpur Nagar) Amarnath Yadav, reached the spot and held talks with the students.
Fire tenders and ambulances were stationed at the site as a precautionary measure.
There were brief scuffles between the protesters and the police when authorities attempted to disperse the crowd. Denying reports of a lathi charge, DCP Abidi said the police "only tried to remove protesters to maintain law and order."
He said discussions were held between student representatives and the college administration, and a consensus was reached on certain demands, including assurances related to academic scheduling.
Even though the situation later returned to normal, PAC personnel continued to be deployed on the campus.
Police officials said an investigation into the accident is underway.