HYDERABAD/DADU: A first year student of the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), Jamshoro, died after donating blood at a camp established on the campus by the provincial health department`s regional blood centre (RBC) on Thursday.

The incident prompted the university administration to immediately wind up the camp. Vice Chancellor Prof Tuaha Hussain Ali has ordered an inquiry into the incident and formed a five-member committee for the purpose.

The RBC had established the blood donation camp on the campus on Thursdaywith the consent of the MUET administration. A total of 140 students had turned up at the camp and 70 of them -63 male and seven female had already donated their blood before the news of one donor, Kuldeep Soothar, having fallen seriously ill spread like a wildfire across the university. Amid panic, the report of his death at the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences hospital followed and the MUET administration ordered immediate winding up of the camp.

The VC constituted a committee headed by Dean Faculty of Architecture Dr Khan Mohammad Brohi to hold an inquiry into the circumstances leading to the death of Kuldeep Soothar, a student of the same department. The other members of the committee are the MUET registrar, Dean Faculty of Science Dr Anil Kumar, Dr Pir Mohammad Abro and Adviser Students Affairs Dr Tanveer Hussain. The VC directed that no blood donation camp be established on the cam-pus tillfurther orders.

It was gathered that Kuldeep, a resident of Diplo town of Tharparkar, had left for Sindh University to attend a short course af ter donating blood. His condition started deteriorating there and he was rushed to the LUMHS where he died.

Prof Dr Tuaha Hussain Ali, other faculty members and administration officers visited his family members to offer their condolences.

Protest on campus Students belonging to various nationalist groups and political parties took out a rally from Zero Point to the MUET campus over the death of Kuldeep Soothar.

They alleged negligence on the part of the medical staff and organisers of the camp.

They also claimed that prompt and appropriate treatment was not provided to him at LUMHS hospital.

Leaders of the protesting studentsnoted that necessary tests were not conducted before allowing students to donate their blood.

They demanded registration of an FIR of the incident and legal action against those found responsible for the student`s death.

Awami Tehreek (AT) organiser Sajjad Ahmed Chandio and Noor Ahmed Katiar attributed Kuldeep Soothar`s death to negligence on the part of the MUET.

In a statement issued on Friday, they said the university administration had organised the blood donation camp as a `big event` on the campus. They deplored that the required mandatory tests were not done before collecting blood donation from students and this resulted in the death of Kuldeep Soothar.

They insisted that it was not an `accidental death`, adding that the university administration had now formed a committee to hoodwink people and prove itself innocent in the matter.