The police have booked five people, including the principal of a medical college, in connection with the death of 21-year-old first year student here, officials said on Sunday.

The student, identified as Shailendra Shankhwar, was found hanging from the ceiling of his hostel room at the Autonomous State Medical College, they said.

District Magistrate Ravi Ranjan said a committee has been formed to probe the incident.

On the complaint lodged by Uday Singh Shankhwar, the student's father, a case has been registered against five persons, including the college principal Dr Sangeeta Aneja and Controller of Examination Gaurav Singh, under section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the IPC, Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Sarvesh Kumar Mishra said.

Citing the complaint, Mishra said on the directions of the principal, Singh had allegedly threatened to not allow Shailendra to sit in an examination. Casteist remarks were also allegedly hurled at him, he said.

The last rites of the student were conducted amid tight security on Sunday, police said, adding that the post-mortem examination of the deceased has also been done.

According to the police, Shankhwar had an exam on Saturday. After he did not reach the examination hall, the college staff went to his hostel room to check on him and found it locked from inside.

The staff broke open the door and found Shankhwar, a first-year MBBS student, hanging from the ceiling, he said.

After hearing about the alleged suicide, students blocked the highway in front of the Firozabad district hospital for nearly four hours, demanding action against the college principal and the hostel warden.

Police officials managed to persuade the students to clear the highway.

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