The sight of a human body, in a badly decomposed state, being pulled out from a water source that fulfilled their drinking needs on the campus shocked the students of Madras University on Monday. Many felt that the negligence of the maintenance staff was squarely to be blamed as complaints about the water since Saturday morning went unattended.
This reporter was on the campus when the news of the floating body spread like wildfire at the university around 3.30 pm. Incidentally, the location of the well was right behind a pillar that was supposed to be unveiled by the Governor to commemorate the centenary of the university’s library, a ceremony that was later postponed.
Students who gathered near the well to witness rescue personnel pull out the corpse were both startled and furious. According to one student, who tied a dupatta around her face to guard herself from the stench, students had got the smell in the water from taps as early as Saturday morning. Complaints were made with those in charge of maintenance. However, nothing came off them.
The timeline of the incident was later corroborated by police officials, who said that looking at the stage of decomposition, the body should have been in the well for “at least three days”.
When the university opened on Monday, a number of students and faculty members made frantic visits to the department in charge of the maintenance and wanted immediate action. “Many of us had used the coolers and felt the strong smell. The smell was similar to that of a dead rodent,” said a senior faculty member.
However, the workers decided to check the water sources only in the afternoon. They first went to the overhead tank and then came down when they found nothing there. “We do not understand why, even after many people raising the issue, nobody bothered to look into all sources of water,” said one student. When the body was pulled out, a number of students were seen throwing up as the stench reached every nook and corner of the building.
Dr G R Ravindranath, a medical practitioner, said consuming the contaminated water could lead to an array of issues. “The most obvious is Ecoli infections that spread from decomposing bodies. In case the person had any water-borne viral or bacterial infection, that could cause some issues as well,” he said and added that action could be initiated against the university officials for negligence.
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