Mangalore: College suspends students over Facebook photo

Mangalore, Feb 24: One boy and five girl students of a college here have been suspended by its management after a photo of theirs emerged on social media showing the boy lying on the lap of the girls in their classroom.

The matter, which the college said has "created emotional outbursts" amongst the student community, has also seen the boy being thrashed by unknown persons, leading to his hospitalisation.

Also, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarti Parishad members have submitted a memorandum to the college's principal asking him to debar the students after the photo, according to sources at the college, was uploaded on Facebook on February 22 and went viral online.

"The incident, the photo and its circulation on social media has created emotional outbursts among the student community and the public," the college, which is situated at Suratkal here, said in a letter to Mangalore University.

The boy was thrashed by a group of people on Sunday after the photo appeared on Facebook and he has been admitted to a hospital for treatment, police said.

The college authorities informed the parents of the students of the matter and a committee was formed to look into it. Now, after a preliminary inquiry, a decision was taken to suspend the students, the sources said.

The student welfare officer at Mangalore University has also been informed of the incident, they added.

A probe is on to find the person who had posted the photo on Facebook. The college authorities said that the girls had not told them about the photo having been uploaded on social media.

PTI