: Alleging foul play in the death of a first year law student who fell from a hostel building inside the National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS) campus last week, the family members of the student have filed a first information report with the West Bengal police.
Vikas Choudhury, a resident of Delhi, was a first year student at the institute.
The FIR was lodged at Bidhannagar South Police station under Sections 302 (murder) 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code.
Speaking to The Hindu on Monday, Yogendra Singh, father of Mr Chaudhury, said that he cannot accept the version provided by the NUJS in connection with his son’s death and wants a thorough probe.
NUJS authorities have described the incident as an accident and ruled out foul play.
“After gathering information from the students, the University has at this moment, no reason to suspect foul play. The University has initiated steps to institute an inquiry to investigate the exact circumstances of the accident,” a press release issued by NUJS said.
According to the University, the student met with an accident on March 6 and succumbed to his injuries on March 7.
The University had in the past hit the headlines over allegations of sexual harassment of former students working with retired judges.
An instance of sexual harassment within the University was also reported by a female employee leading to the arrest of her colleague.
The family of the student said that they suspect this to be a case of ragging by senior students.
A team of forensic experts visited the NUJS campus during the day and collected evidences.
“His hostel was on the first floor, but we learnt that he fell from the third floor. How can this happen?” said Harinder Singh, uncle of the deceased student.
Mr Singh said that ever since the family arrived at the institute after hearing about the incident they were being ‘stalked’ by senior students of the institute.
The father alleged that his son had told him about ragging in the past. “My son had complained that his seniors would rag him. They would take him to the roof top in the middle of the night and make him shout slogans. He was depressed for sometime,” he said.
The family members also pointed out that body of the student was recovered from a point in the campus where it “could not have been reached even if Vikas had fallen off from the third floor,” of the hotel.
“The body was found several feet away from the building, in a field. How can the body be found so far from the building if had fallen from the third floor,” asks Mr Singh.
‘How can the body be found so far from the building if had fallen from the third floor’
