Arrest: A former Jadavpur University student who continued his stay at the hostel was arrested for his alleged involvement in the ragging of an undergraduate student who fell to death in a suspected suicide case, a police official said.
The former student was identified as Sourabh Chowdhury, who completed his MSc in Mathematics in 2022.
Chowdhury was held following the complaint by the deceased student, Swapnadip's father who lodged an FIR against him, the police said.
"Swapnadip's father Ramprasad Kundu in his police complaint mentioned the names of a few boarders of that hostel claiming that they were responsible for his son's death. Accordingly, a case under section 302/34 IPC has been started,” the officer said.
Swapnadip, a resident of Bagula in Nadia district, fell from the second-floor balcony of the main hostel building around 11.45 pm on Wednesday and died while undergoing treatment at a hospital at 3.40 am on Thursday, according to police.
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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