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For months, 20-year-old Michi Marpu stayed in Kerala, away from his family in Parum Pare of Arunachal Pradesh, after being held back from the next semester at his engineering college. His classmates say they repeatedly sought help from the management to change the credit rule that had left him a year behind.
On August 15, Michi was found dead in his rented room. His death was ruled a suicide. His remains were transported to Arunachal Pradesh on Monday. Higher Education Minister Roji M John said a police investigation and a department-level inquiry would be conducted on the student’s death.
"If the management had listened to our concerns, we might not have lost him," said a student at Mar Athanasius College of Engineering (MACE) in Kothamangalam, Ernakulam, who was a classmate of Michi Marpu.
According to his classmates and other college students who spoke to TNM, Michi died by suicide after failing to meet the 22-credit requirement needed to progress from the fourth to the fifth semester at the college.
MACE is an autonomous institution affiliated with APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) in Kerala. The minimum credits used by other state colleges under KTU is 18. However, MACE used its autonomous power to set it at 22. Michi was among the 22 students who were held back a year in the fourth semester. According to his classmates, he scored 20 credits.
The students who had lost a year met with the college management on August 14 to request a reduction in the credit score. However, the students didn’t receive any positive response. Michi killed himself a few hours later.
The students said they had met Roji M John a few days before the incident to address this issue, and even after the minister spoke with college authorities, they were reluctant to listen.
“If they had said ‘we can consider’, he would be with us now. But we didn’t receive any positive note from them. They dismissed our concerns, saying they can decide things as it's autonomous,” said one of Michi’s classmates who went to the management to request.
Michi was in Civil Engineering and, according to his classmates, the only non-Malayali in the class and an introvert.
“He was very quiet and did not speak much,” said a classmate. He also said that no one knew what difficulties he faced after being held back for a year. For the last one and a half months, Michi had stopped attending classes as he was held back, but he did not return home or inform his family. He continued to stay in his rented room.
When Michi’s classmates spoke to his family, they found that the family was not aware of the academic issues he was facing. “His father told us that if they had known about this, he might have called him back to Arunachal and found another course for him,” a classmate said.
Michi’s classmates told TNM that during their fourth semester, they noticed wounds on his hand, which they believed were self-inflicted. "We informed the faculty and sought help for him, but they did nothing. If they had intervened at that time, we might have been able to help him," said a student.
Adhil Rasheed, a final-year mechanical engineering student and president of the Kerala Students Union (KSU) unit, stated that they made several efforts to have the credit rule removed.
They met with Minister Roji M John on August 7, who contacted the college to discuss the issue. However, the college remained persistent in its decision.
Adhil said, “The college had refused to make any changes, citing its status as an autonomous institution. In reality, it misused this autonomous status, which ultimately contributed to the loss of a student’s life. If they had handled the situation properly, understood the students' demands, and supported them, a student’s life could have been saved.”
The decision to introduce a fifth semester year-back system was taken by the Board of Studies in 2024. “The fifth semester of the 2024 batch falls in 2026. It was at this point that many students began facing difficulties related to this decision,” Roji M John said.
The year-back scheme was temporarily withdrawn on August 12 during the first meeting of the newly formed KTU Syndicate. But MACE stuck to their decision and did not withdraw it.
“The explanation is that it is supposed to maintain industry standards. This particular ‘industry standard’ seems to exist only in this college,” said Adhil.
Following Michi’s death, college students, including Student Federation of India (SFI) and KSU members, held protests. The students raised multiple demands, including withdrawal of the year-back system and reinstatement of all students who had not been able to attend classes as a result. The college management has agreed to the demands, as per Minister Roji M John.
“Students were simply pushed into such a difficult and distressing situation, and it was only after a student lost their life that the management began to show any kind of concern about the issue. Even that happened only because there was a student protest here. No political parties operate inside this college. Yet the students stood together as one and brought the issue to this point. Otherwise, things would never have reached this stage with the management,” said Adhil.
On August 16, the college issued a press release stating that the minimum credit requirement for registration to Semester 5 would be in accordance with the regulations of KTU and government orders, and the students who could not register for Semester 5 due to the minimum credit requirement would be permitted to attend classes with effect from August 18.
Other decisions taken by the management were to fix the Save A Year (SAY) examination fee at Rs 1,000; strengthen the existing counselling system; provide special counselling and support sessions for students from outside Kerala; hold regular meetings with student representatives and department heads, and the principal would address students' concerns and facilitate effective communication. Additional sick rooms would be provided to enhance healthcare facilities and ensure the students' well-being.
However, students continued the protest demanding the college provide compensation to Michi’s parents.
A larger protest was held on Tuesday, August 18, as the management had not given any written assurances. Michi’s classmate said, 'They changed their decision after a protest. Now, other students will receive justice. But what about Michi? We will protest until we believe he gets the justice he deserves.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the students called off the protests after college principal Bos Mathew Jos assured students that they would cooperate with police. “If the police investigation finds anyone responsible, the college will take action against them. A condolence meeting will be held, and the necessary steps will be taken for giving compensation to the student’s parents,” the principal said.
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If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.
