In connection with the death of first-year student Swapnadip Kundu (18) at Jadavpur University (JU), a former student of the university was arrested and charged with murder on Saturday.
The arrest was made after an FIR was registered based on the complaint of Swapnadip's father. He had held the some boys of the main hostel responsible for his son's death. “He was a victim of ragging and torture,” his father had said.
Sourabh Chowdhury, the prime accused in the Swapnadip's death, continued to stay at the boy's hostel in the campus despite completing his post-graduation. Chowdhury had completed his PG in Msc Mathematics from the university in 2022.
Reportedly, he was unofficially functioning as the person in charge of the hostel mess committee.
"Sourabh promised to help Swapnadip's father. He had said that he could stay as 'guest' of a boarder, for which he took Rs 1,000. He said that a mess committee head, he could ensure a bed, although the university has no 'guest' policy," a source was quoted by Times of India.
Meanwhile, the university authorities said that there was no official mess committee head and if money had been taken from the victim then it was "illegal".
Sourabh was allotted a room at the hostel with other two students from Economics and Mechanical Engineering department.
As part of the investigation, police had questioned several boarders and officials at the university.
Swapnadip, a resident of Bagula in Nadia district, fell from a balcony of the main hostel building around 11.45 pm on Wednesday and died while undergoing treatment at a hospital nearby the next day.
JU Dean Rajay Ray had said that he received a call late night regarding the incident and the student was immediately rushed to the nearby hospital.
Meanwhile, ragging by few hostel seniors was alleged by first-year students.
JU had asked the students staying at the main hostel to shift to a new facility temporarily after the incident.
Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, who is the chancellor of the university, visited the hostel and assured his family members stern action.
According to police officials, the student was mentally distressed after seniors started calling him gay. Reportedly, Swapnadip had repeatedly said that he was not gay before the fatal fall.
After the incident, JU had issued a notification on Thursday stating "It is further notified that no passed-out students as well as outsiders are allowed to stay in the hostels with immediate effect. Hostel superintendents are requested to send the names of such passed out students or outsiders, as the case maybe, who does not comply with the said instruction (sic)."
Meanwhile, a political war erupted over the death of the student. BJP blamed the state administration for its alleged failure to bring in "true governance" in the education sector, drawing a sharp rebuttal from Education Minister Bratya Basu who asked the opposition party not to politicise the matter.
"A loss of a promising flower nipped at its bud is a great loss of Bengal and her society...I also strongly deplore such heinous acts," Basu said in a media post.
BJP's Sukanta Majumdar alleged that the TMC-led Mamata Banerjee government “failed to eradicate a henious crime like ragging...Shame on WB government.”
