Protests have erupted at a private engineering college in Kerala’s Kottayam district after student bodies alleged that a student who had allegedly died by suicide last week had been mentally harassed by the authorities, The Indian Express reported.

On Tuesday, the students also got into an altercation with the management of the Amal Jyothi College of Engineering after the authorities asked them to vacate their hostel rooms. Students alleged that the management was trying to suppress the protests by temporarily closing the college.

Sradha Satheesh, a second-year student of food technology, had allegedly died by suicide on June 2. Her parents and student bodies have alleged mental harassment by the college as the reason for her death.

“She was fine till Friday afternoon,” Rixana, a third-year student of the college and a hostel mate of Satheesh, told The News Minute. “During the lab hour, they snatched her phone when she took it out to check a notification. She was taken by the teacher to the office of the head of department and given a scolding. We don’t know what transpired there, but after coming out, she said that she did not want to live anymore.”

As student bodies launched a protest against the college authorities, the management shut down the institution on Monday night and asked students to vacate their hostels the next day, The New Indian Express reported.

The students also alleged that the police baton-charged those protesting against the college authorities.

“All this is happening after we were told yesterday that there will be a discussion between the management, student representatives and a government representative,” one of the protestors told The Indian Express.

The college management has said it did not know the reason for Satheesh’s suspected suicide. The police have said that a case has been registered and an investigation is underway.