Calcutta HC judge reprimands IIT Kharagpur Director over student's suicide

A Calcutta High Court judge asked the Director of IIT Kharagpur if he prioritizes paying attention to the death of a student or going to Tokyo. A student originally from Assam had died of suicide on November 3, while his parents had expressed it possibly being a case of death due to ragging.

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court judge Rajashekhar Mantha on Friday reprimanded the director of IIT Kharagpur in the student suicide case, slating him for his failure at addressing the death properly. The judge directly asked the IIT Kharagpur director Virendra Kumar Tewari, "Don't you have a son or daughter at home? What is your priority, going abroad, or investigating the student's death?"

IIT-Kharagpur's third-year student Faizan Ahmed died unexpectedly of suicide on the college campus on November 3. Though the police confirmed that it prima facie appears to be a case of suicide, Faizan's family alleged ragging as the cause of his death when they came from Assam to collect his body.

A case was filed in Calcutta High Court on the overall issue. Earlier, the court had summoned the written report from the Director of IIT Kharagpur and the police after the hearing of the case. The report was submitted, but the court asked what steps the Director has taken in this regard more than once.

The reports submitted by the IIT authorities were deemed unsatisfactory by the court. The judge, enraged at the non-cooperation summoned director Virendra Kumar Tewari to the court who appeared on Friday. Tewari's lawyer Anindya Mitra said, "After the incident, the fact-finding committee was formed. Then the disciplinary committee made a report. After that, the High Power Committee was formed."

Responding to the counsel's version, Justice Mantha said, "Such a death of a boy and the attempt by the authorities to brush it under the carpet is a matter of serious concern." The judge then turned his attention to the director and asked, "Do you have a son or daughter? If you think about them, you will understand the pain of those parents, who cannot come from Guwahati due to financial constraints. What is more important to you, the court summons or going to Tokyo? Why are you taking the incident of ragging so lightly? The court wants the director to be proactive in this regard."

The judge further said in his order that it is poor enough to have such an incident happen in a prestigious institution like IIT Kharagpur. "Because of such incidents, students can suffer from mental illness. The director has submitted his report. After examining the report, the plaintiff's lawyer will raise his objection. The matter has been posted for the next hearing on February 6," the judge noted.

Besides, the judge said that the court hopes that IIT will take steps to prevent such incidents from happening in the future. "Students should be counseled if necessary. The director is responsible for all matters," Justice Mantha said while directing the police to investigate and submit a report quickly.