Courts orders forensic probe into death of IITKGP student

The court said the post-mortem report of a third-year student of IIT Kharagpur, whose body was found in a hostel room on October 14, should be verified by an expert in forensic medicine.  

Justice Rajasekhar Mantha of the high court has ordered a forensic probe into the death of a third-year student of IIT Kharagpur, whose body was found in a hostel room on October 14. 

The court engaged Ajay Kumar Gupta, formerly associated with the department of forensic and state medicine, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, to conduct the probe after observing that there was a need to verify the post-mortem report, said lawyers connected with the case, The Telegraph reported. 

The court ordered all documents related to the case to be handed to Gupta. “The post-mortem report should be verified by an expert in forensic medicine,” the judge said. The report apparently does not say clearly what caused the death of Faizan Ahmed. Justice Mantha’s order said: “It is further indicated by the learned advocate general that fresh FIR No. 81 of 2023… has been registered by the Kharagpur Town Police against seven persons.” 

Advocate-general SN Mookherjee told the court that Faizan had committed suicide and that he had been depressed because of his failure to secure an internship offer. 

Faizan’s decomposed body was found in a hostel room on the campus on October 14, 2022. This was not the first submission by the police in the court that Faizan had committed suicide. 

“Once they had told the court that Faizan had slashed his wrist with a blade. While taking exception to this finding, my colleague Ranjit Chatterjee asked why the blade was not found in his room,” said Aniruddha Mitra, one of the two lawyers representing Faizan’s family. 

“The police also said Faizan died because of a drug overdose. But the seizure list does not mention any drug. Besides, going by the protruded eyes and tongue of Faizan, Chatterjee told the court, it seems he was smothered,” Mitra said. The IIT told the court on Monday it could not be held responsible for the student’s death. Lawyer Anindya Mitra, who is representing the IIT, told the court the institute had taken action against several students for allegedly harassing Faizan 

Read more: 

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