IIT Kharagpur student’s death: The High Court requests the opinion of an independent forensic expert
The Calcutta high court has requested an independent forensic expert’s report over the likely cause of death of an IIT Kharagpur student, age 23, in October. The body of the student was discovered in the institute’s dormitory.
Justice Rajaskhar Mantha ordered on Monday that the post-mortem report, the forensic examination report, the entire case diary, photographs, and every piece of evidence be submitted to Ajoy Kumar Gupta, a retired forensic expert from the West Bengal CID [Criminal Investigation Department], for his opinion on the likely cause of death.
“It was further contended that the family disturbance at the petitioner’s residence could have caused the victim mental distress.’
The court ordered the investigating officer to meet with Gupta and respond to any questions or explanations the expert may have. The police will collect Gupta’s report and submit it to the court, which will reconsider the case in three weeks.
The parents of the third-year mechanical engineering student whose partially decomposed body was discovered on October 14 petitioned the supreme court for a court-supervised investigation into the death.
They claimed the Tinsukia, Assam, student was killed, while the authorities insisted he committed suicide.
Monday, the police separately submitted a report to the court whose contents were unclear.
The court was also informed that seven individuals have been charged with violating the Indian Criminal Code and the West Bengal Prevention of Ragging in Educational Institutions Act.
Aninda Kumar Mitra, the attorney for IIT Kharagpur, told the court that the petitioners interfered with the police investigation and ruined the institution’s reputation with false charges.
Himanta Biswa Sarma, chief minister of Assam, asked his colleague in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, on October 20 to ensure a comprehensive probe into the circumstances surrounding the death.
