Murder case filed in death of Jadavpur university student
Police in Kolkata have registered a murder case after a first-year student of Jadavpur University died from injuries sustained after falling from a hostel balcony. The student's family alleges he was a victim of ragging. A former student of the university has been arrested in connection with the case. The university has set up an internal committee to investigate the matter. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has assured the victim's family of assistance. A high-level committee has been formed to study the issue of ragging and suggest ways to end it.
Late on Friday, a former student of the university identified as Sourabh Chowdhury was arrested in the case, police said.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee spoke to the victim’s family and assured all forms of assistance in the case, according to the officials. Governor Ananda Bose, who is the chancellor of the state university, announced the formation of a high-level committee to study the issues and come up with suggestions to end the menace of ragging, as per a statement from Raj Bhavan.
The university said it has set up an internal committee to probe the matter and asked all first-year male boarders of the main hostel to temporarily shift to a new facility.
The 18-year-old student from Nadia district was found lying naked in a pool of blood in front of the main hostel building outside the university campus by students at around 11.45pm on Wednesday. The teen’s body bore several injury marks and he was rushed to a private hospital where he died at around 4.30am on Thursday, according to the police.
“We have registered an FIR under sections 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention) of Indian Penal Code on the basis of a complaint by the victim’s father. A probe is underway,” a police officer at Jadavpur police station said, seeking anonymity.
“Some present and former students are being questioned. The family has named one former student who was staying in the hostel,” the officer added.
The student had enrolled for Bengali Honours last week and had shifted to the hostel’s A2 block on Sunday as classes were scheduled to begin on Monday. The deceased’s family alleged he was being ragged and wanted them to visit him in the hostel.
“My son called and spoke to his mother on Wednesday night. He was very afraid and was under tremendous pressure. He begged me and his mother to come. It was clear that he was being tortured,” the student’s father told reporters on Thursday.
A section of students and teachers alleged that former students frequently visited the hostel, stayed in the premises and sometimes, even harassed the freshers. The students held a protest rally at the campus on Friday.
Rajat Roy, dean of students of JU, said he learnt about the incident on Wednesday night. “At 10:05pm on Wednesday, I received a call from a student. He said another student was facing ‘politicising’. I could not understand and asked him to explain. He said a student was being told that if one has to stay in the hostel, he needs to jump from the balcony. I asked him to inform the hostel superintendent. At 10:08pm I asked the superintendent to check. The next phone call I got was a little after midnight in which the superintendent informed me that a student had fallen from the balcony and I rushed to the hospital,” he said.
HOSTEL SUPERINTENDENT STATEMENT?
The state human rights commission has sought a report from Kolkata Police and varsity authorities by August 24.
0 Comments