IITKGP student death: HC asks WB cops to file final report on Feb 20

Lawyer of the father of the deceased submitted that it was improbable as claimed in the police report that Faizan had taken an overdose of anti-anxiety drugs. 

The Calcutta High Court has asked the West Bengal police to submit a final report on its investigation into the death of a third-year student of IIT Kharagpur, whose body was found in a hostel room on October 14, on February 20, The Print reported. 

Alleging that an attempt is being made to cover up a crime, lawyer for the deceased student’s father prayed that the investigation be handed over to the state CID or any agency that the court deems fit. 

Justice Rajasekhar Mantha directed the police, which was represented in the court by Kharagpur additional superintendent of police Rana Mukherjee, to file its final report in Faizan Ahmed death probe on February 20. 

Adjourning its earlier instruction for IIT authorities to file on February 13 a compliance report of the directions given by it for ensuring mental well-being of students, Justice Mantha directed the premier engineering institute to submit the same on February 20, when the petition of Salim Ahmed, father of the deceased, will be taken up for hearing again. 

Salim Ahmed’s lawyer Ranajit Chatterjee, pointing out that four months have passed since the death of the student, claimed there has not been any proper progress in the investigation. 

Chatterjee submitted that it was improbable as claimed in the police report that Faizan had taken an overdose of anti-anxiety drugs, as there was no mention of such drugs or strips of it in the list of materials seized from his hostel room after the body was discovered. 

Claiming that the post-mortem report was not conclusive, he alleged that Faizan’s death might have resulted from violence. The additional SP submitted before the court that the post-mortem report does not say that the death was homicidal and stated that the door of Faizan’s room was bolted from inside. 

Admitting that the student had reportedly suffered ragging at one point, which was evident from a social media post of February 2022, the police, however, stated that the tragedy could not, however, be linked to that incident as Faizan died several months later in October. 

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