Deputy Minister Madura Seneviratne says the Ministry of Higher Education has launched a probe into the death of a student from the University of Vavuniya recently.
Speaking to Newswire, he said the ministry has launched a probe through the University Grants Commission, while the university has also launched an internal probe.
“As of now, the postmortem reveals that the cause of death is due to extensive vomiting as a result of alcohol. The exact cause of the alcohol consumption is uncertain. Investigations are underway to ascertain this,” he said.
Deputy Minister Madura Seneviratne further said that if the death is linked to any form of ragging or violence, the matter will be referred to the ministry’s committee appointed to address such incidents, to conduct further investigations and initiate action.
The probes come after it was reported that a 23-year-old student from Vavuniya University had died by suicide recently (31) due to alleged ragging by senior students.
According to media reports, strong allegations have emerged that senior students had forcibly made new students consume alcohol. (Newswire)