KATTANKULATHUR / COIMBATORE: Vice‑President CP Radhakrishnan on Sunday described the recent killing of a student in Coimbatore as “deeply painful” and urged young people to shun drugs and channel their energies into purposeful work while addressing the 22nd convocation of SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) at Kattankulathur.
Vice‑President links tragedy to wider concerns on youth and drugs
Radhakrishnan said he felt as though he had lost a member of his own family after hearing about the incident in Coimbatore, which, according to media reports, involved the death of 19‑year‑old engineering student K Amudhan. He warned the graduates to make "Rashtra Pratham" (nation first) their guiding principle and to use knowledge, innovation and hard work for India's progress.
The Vice‑President urged the younger generation to avoid drugs and pursue research, entrepreneurship and service as routes to personal fulfilment and national development. He also highlighted the expansion in higher education and cited improvements in women's enrolment and India's vaccine diplomacy as evidence of national progress.
"Do not merely prepare yourself for the future; prepare yourself to shape the future," Radhakrishnan said, urging graduates to uphold constitutional values and national unity.
Police and college management deny drug link; inquiry ongoing
The Coimbatore killing has fuelled political controversy after the deceased student's family alleged that Amudhan was murdered for raising concerns about drug abuse and alleged drug peddling on a college campus. Media reports said the family contended he had shared information about the drug trade.
However, both the Coimbatore police and the college management have denied that the killing was linked to drugs. They maintain the incident arose from a personal enmity and described it as a retaliatory clash. Several persons have been arrested and the investigation is continuing, according to the reports.
- Victim: K Amudhan, 19, engineering student (reported).
- Allegations by family: Murder linked to his raising concerns over drug abuse and alleged peddling on campus (reported).
- Police/college position: Deny drug‑related motive; say killing resulted from personal enmity and a retaliatory clash (reported).
- Legal status: Several arrests made; investigation ongoing (reported).
| Detail | Reported Fact |
|---|---|
| Victim | K Amudhan, 19 |
| Alleged motive (family) | Raised concerns about drug abuse and peddling on campus |
| Authorities' stance | Not drug‑related; result of personal enmity |
| Investigation | Several arrests; inquiry continuing |
The comments by the Vice‑President at the SRMIST convocation were reported as part of wider remarks urging graduates to contribute to the vision of a Viksit Bharat by embracing innovation and research. He listed institutional growth in higher education since 2014 and cited an increase in women's enrolment from 1.57 crore in 2014‑15 to 2.24 crore in 2023‑24.
Local reactions to the case remain tense, with political actors and family members asserting different versions of motive and responsibility. The dispute has placed college safety, campus discipline and the handling of drug‑related concerns under scrutiny in Coimbatore and beyond. The police have confirmed arrests but have not publicly released full details of the charges or the timeline of the probe.
As investigators continue to piece together events, Radhakrishnan's appeal to young people to find purpose and avoid drugs framed the issue within a broader national conversation about youth welfare, campus safety and civic duty.
This report is based on the convocation remarks and subsequent media reporting of the Coimbatore incident.
