COIMBATORE: The Chettipalayam police in Coimbatore district on Wednesday arrested five youths, including a 17-year-old boy, in connection with the murder of a third-year engineering college student on Monday.The arrested have been identified as B Aramudhan, 20, of Cuddalore, M Aravind, 21, of Sivaganga, S Siva Rohith, 20, of Tiruvarur, V Mani Balu, 20, of Perambalur and a 17-year-old minor.Police initially registered a case against 14 people for brutally assaulting a third-year engineering student, Amudhan, 19, and launched an investigation. They identified five students who forcibly took Amudhan to an isolated place behind the college campus and brutally attacked him.According to police, the suspects assaulted Amudhan after he and his friends on Monday morning trespassed into a rented house where Elavarasan, a second-year engineering student of the same college, and his friends were staying and threatened and assaulted them before fleeing the scene with two mobile phones.“We have arrested five students and are investigating to arrest the others involved in the crime,” said a police officer in the investigation team.Amudhan’s parents had alleged that the college management had asked Amudhan about some students involved in selling and consuming drugs. After collecting information from him, the management told the drug-peddling students about Amudhan’s statement, they alleged. Following this only, the students had assaulted and murdered him, they added.However, principal of Hindusthan College of Engineering J Jaya in a press meet refuted the parents’ allegations and stated that the management had not received any written letter from the student regarding drug sales. The management had suspended the student till August 11 and had been asked to visit the college on Aug 11, she said. “However, we are not aware that he was staying outside” she added.Meanwhile, members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) held a protest outside Hindusthan College of Arts and Science in Nava India condemning the death of Amudhan. The protesters demanded a proper investigation into his death and legal action against the college administration, the head of the department concerned and the dean.
