Students of Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) are up in arms against the varsity after a student named Vansh Gaint died at the university hostel. The students have blamed the university’s apathy and negligence for the death of the student.

The 21-year-old ended his life on the university campus on Monday.

The students have slammed  GNLU, claiming it has now become “synonymous with institutional apathy, negligence, and gross mismanagement”. 

The students alleged that the tragedy was a “culmination of administrative negligence, the lack of medical preparedness, and the suppression of student voices, notably through the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), which is meant to safeguard students from harassment and ensure their protection”.

The students body has released a a timeline of the events on the night of the tragedy. 

11.32 pm – A concerned friend knocked on Vansh’s door after repeated failed attempts to contact him.

11.39-11.48 pm – Multiple calls made by students went unanswered. A message was sent to the batch group at 11.48 pm, raising alarm about his well-being.

11.50 pm – A video was sent showing Vansh’s feet visible from under the door, yet the warden downplayed the situation, leading to a 25-minute delay in taking action.

Frustrated by the warden’s inaction, students forcibly broke open the door themselves. The warden abandoned the rescue attempt midway, claiming “nothing is happening”, leaving the students to carry the full responsibility of saving their friend.

12.19 am – Students broke open the door, cut the cloth from which Vansh was hanging, and laid him down.

12.25 am – Medical staff arrived—30 minutes too late.

12.35-12.40 am – Vansh was taken from the college.

12.45-12.50 am – He reached the hospital.

Lack of emergency equipment and warden’s inaction

The students alleged that the hostel lacked emergency equipment such as crowbar or ladder to access the window. 

The statement also noted that the warden’s inaction resulted in students having to break open the door themselves after ‘nearly 25 minutes of inaction’.

No medical assistance

As per students, despite repeated requests, no medical personnel arrived on time, leaving students to handle the emergency on their own.

In a desperate attempt to get help, students had to fetch a nurse from the girls’ hostel, as there was no medical staff present in the boys’ hostel.

When medical staff finally arrived, they did not know how to perform CPR and instead asked students if they knew how to proceed, alleged the students.

Further, no ambulance was arranged after the door was broken, and the administration failed to take any action. Students had to organise a car themselves and Vansh was taken to the hospital without any staff accompanying him.

Allegations against warden

Allegations were made against the warden, Yogesh, of targeting Vansh ‘without any reason’.

Talking about a particular incident, the statement said that a few months ago, the warden had held Vansh’s jaw tightly, in a “clear instance of battery and bullying”.

The students have alleged that lack of emergency infrastructure, medical preparedness, and administrative responsibility has caused the death that could have been prevented.

Demand for justice

Now, the students demand an independent inquiry into the administrative failure that led to this tragedy, immediate suspension of warden, and implementation of emergency measures.

Failure in student representation

“The ICC at GNLU, meant to protect students from sexual harassment, has been rendered ineffective. Despite the High Court’s cognizance of the issue and its directives for the university to ensure a functional, student-inclusive ICC, the administration has failed to implement these recommendations. The current ICC remains predominantly under administrative control, suppressing student voices instead of providing justice,” said the students.

They alleged that sensitisation programmes, crucial to the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) policy, have been poorly conducted, creating an atmosphere of fear and silence.