Student dies: A first-year student of Kolkata’s Jadavpur University died after allegedly falling from the balcony of second floor of the main hostel, the police said on Thursday (August 10).
The dead student was identified as Swarnodip Kundu, a resident of Bagula in Nadia. He was an undergraduate student of Bengali (honours).
The student allegedly fell from a hostel building around 11.45 pm on Wednesday, they said.
"He received multiple injuries and died at 4.30 am during treatment at the KPC Medical College," a police official said.
Another student of first year alleged that ragging by a few seniors was behind his friend’s death, adding that the classes had begun a couple of days back.
Police investigation
Preliminary investigation by the police revealed that the student called his mother at around 9 pm on Wednesday and expressed his fear “about something”, a police officer said.
"His phone got switched off later. We are looking into his call list to find out whether he spoke to anyone else after that or not," the officer said, adding that they have examined the mobile phones of his roommates.
"We are waiting for the post-mortem examination report. That will help us in our investigation," he added.
Jadavpur University Registrar Snehamanju Basu said in a communique to the Jadavpur police station that the student was found on the road in front of the main hostel within the premises in unconscious and wounded condition at 11 pm.
Basu said that “despite every step taken for immediate and best possible treatment for him, he died at 6 am today”.
Responding to the allegations of the deceased’s father that his son is a victim of ragging, the police said that they were talking to the in-charge of the hostel and also the students who have recently started staying there.
Another Student alleges ragging
Meanwhile, another first-year student of Jadavpur University alleged in a Facebook post that ragging by “a few seniors” was behind the death of his friend Swapnodeep.
"My name is Arpan Majhi. I am a first-year student at Jadavpur University. My family is economically backward and I grew up in Asansol. Naturally, I applied for a hostel during admission. Spending two to three nights at the hostel was quite tormenting to me and because of that, I have started looking for a mess despite facing great difficulty, even if I have to take a loan," he wrote.
Jadavpur University Teachers Association (JUTA) Secretary Partha Pratim Roy called for keeping new students in a separate hostel as per UGC rules and immediately driving out former students who had been living in the hostel illegally.
“We demand exemplary punishment for those responsible for his fate," Roy said.
(With PTI inputs)
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