Bengal student dies in Vijayawada hostel: Family seeks CBI inquiry

A first-year engineering student from West Bengal died in his hostel in Vijayawada on July 24. His family claimed that the boy was murdered and wrote to the President, Prime Minister and West Bengal Chief Minister seeking CBI inquiry into the matter.

Barasat (West Bengal): Amidst the ongoing political debate over the recent death of Jadavpur University fresher, parents of a first-year engineering student who died under mysterious circumstances in his hostel at a renowned institute in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada have demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter.

Souradeep Chowdhury (19) died in his hostel room on July 24. The institute informed his family that the boy had fallen from the 11th floor of the hostel but, his family claimed that he was murdered.

Souradeep's father Sudip Chowdhury, a homeopathy doctor, has written to President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee drawing their attention to the unfortunate incident. Sudip Chowdhury said, "My son cannot commit suicide. Souradeep could have been murdered. The case should be investigated properly and I want a CBI probe. The real facts should come out."

Souradeep's mother Sudipa Chowdhury said, "My son could not have died just like that. We want justice." Sourdeep was a brilliant student throughout his life. A resident of Midnapore, Souradeep passed his high school from Midnapore Collegiate School and took admission in Koneru Lakshmaiah University (KL University) in Vijayawada.

Sudip Chowdhury accompanied his son to the institute during the admission process. But within a week of his admission, the family got the shocking news of Souradeep's death. "The authorities said my son died after falling from the veranda of the hostel. We approached the local police station against the institute. Also, we filed a written complaint with the concerned police station demanding investigation," the boy's father said.

Alleging that the investigation has not progressed, Sudip Chowdhury said, "Souradeep's dream was to study computer science engineering at a reputed institute and then go abroad. To fulfill his dream, I admitted him to the institute in Vijayawada."

"I want to know what happened three days after I left my son in the hostel. I went to the institute but did not get any help from the authorities. On the contrary, every effort has been made to hush up the matter," he alleged.

According to family sources, after Souradeep's death, his body was put in the private hospital mortuary and no initiative was taken for post-mortem. Also, immediately after the incident, the authorities vacated the hostel and sent most of the students home from the campus. The spot where Souradeep's body landed after falling from the hostel room was not even cordoned off for investigation purpose, family members said.

Sudip Chowdhury claimed that though it is almost a month since his son's death, nobody from the institute contacted him. "The authorities have returned the admission fee. But what would I do with that money? Will I get back my son?" the bereaved father asked.