BHUBANESWAR: A first-year BTech student of the Silicon Institute of Technology under Infocity police limits here was found hanging in his hostel room on Saturday night, sparking tension at the institution as his parents alleged their son took the extreme step due to ragging by seniors.
The deceased, a 19-year-old, was a native of Balikuda in Jagatsinghpur district. As per the hostel’s rule, a student has to mark his attendance after 9.30 pm. However, when the youth did not do so, the hostel authorities informed the matter to his parents over message.
When his parents contacted the student over phone, he claimed he had dozed off and would soon have his dinner. However a few minutes later, he was found hanging in his hostel room.
Following the incident, other students staged dharna on the campus later in the night. Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena rushed to the college to bring the situation under control. The college authorities informed the matter to the youth’s parents.
The victim’s parents, meanwhile, alleged their son took the drastic step due to ragging by seniors. “My son had earlier informed us that some seniors were harassing him on social media. They were even threatening him in the hostel canteen for which he had stopped going there,” the youth’s father, a government officer, told mediapersons. He also alleged negligence on part of the college authorities.
The youth’s mother claimed he was either eating outside food or making do with chhatua (powdered food) for the last three days to avoid going to the canteen.
Infocity police had initially registered a case of unnatural death in this connection. However, after the deceased’s father lodged a complaint against the college authorities, police turned the case to abetment of suicide. DCP Meena said the youth’s friends and other students of the hostel are being questioned. “Technical data is also being used and the investigation is underway from all angles,” he added.
Sources said police are also probing all angles in the case. His mobile phone has been seized and will be sent to the State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL) for examination.
Meanwhile, the college authorities stated they had never received any ragging complaint from the victim. “He attended his classes regularly. We never received any ragging complaint from him. There is also an anti-ragging cell of the college to address such issues of the students,” they said.
