It’s been 15 months since three young women, studying at the SVS College of Naturopathy and Yoga Sciences were found dead in a well near the college in Villupuram. On Monday, the CB-CID filed a chargesheet in the case.
Five people including college chairman Vasuki Subramanian, correspondent Subramanian, son of Vasuki, Swakar Varma, principal Kalanithi and an accomplice of Vasuki, Peru Venkatesan are listed as the accused in the chargesheet. They have been charged under IPC sections 306 (abetment to suicide), 120b (criminal conspiracy), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery purpose of cheating), 384 (extortion), 420b (cheating) and section 4(b) of Woman Harassment Act and TN educational Institutions Act 1992.
Three entities, SVS BNYS college, SVS educational Trust and its homeopathy research institution have also been named in the chargesheet filed on Monday, reported The New Indian Express.
The 500-page chargesheet also contains testimonials from 348 eyewitnesses.
On January 23,2016, three first year students, Saranya, Priyanka and Monisha, were found dead in a well near their college. A suicide note recovered from the spot blamed college chairman Vasuki Subramanian for harassing students and charging exorbitant fees from them.
The chargesheet states that the three students had allegedly committed suicide after being instigated by the accused.
However, Tamilarasan, the father of Monisha refused to accept that his daughter committed suicide, stating, “I still do not believe that the girls had committed suicide, I’m sure it is a murder. The post-mortem reports show that there was not much water found inside their bodies. But the police claim they died due to drowning.”
He also criticised the delay in filing the chargesheet noting, “There has been immense delay in filing the chargesheet. All the accused in the case are out on bail. We used to respond to everything the investigation team asked us. We do not know why there was such a delay.”
An officer from the CB-CID, which is investigating the case, told The News Minute that the delay in filing the chargesheet was owing to the large number of witnesses in the case. “We followed proper procedure in the case and filed the chargesheet,” he said.
He also added that one of the accused, college correspondent Subramanian is absconding. The chargesheet has been filed in the court and now the trial proceedings will begin in the court, the officer said.