Guwahati: On Monday, in compliance with the Calcutta High Court’s directive, the body of Faizan Ahmed, a student at IIT-Kharagpur, was exhumed in Assam for a second autopsy.
The court-appointed expert had identified several shortcomings in the initial examination, necessitating this step.
The West Bengal police, as instructed, transported Faizan’s remains to Kolkata, where the second autopsy will take place.
During the exhumation process in Dibrugarh, Assam, Faizan’s father expressed concerns about the presence of IIT-Kharagpur officials at the burial site. He questioned their objective, stating, “We were informed that some professors from IIT came here. We are unsure of their intentions and doubtful about their presence.”
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Faizan Ahmed was discovered deceased in a hostel room on the IIT-Kharagpur campus on October 14 of last year.
While the college authorities declared it a suicide case, his family alleged foul play and asserted that he had been murdered.
They claimed that Faizan’s mental state was pushed to the brink due to ragging, with his complaints falling on deaf ears within the IIT-Kharagpur administration. “It was unquestionably a case of murder,” they emphasized.
During the court proceedings, the prestigious institute faced severe criticism from the Calcutta High Court, which deemed the incident a case of ragging. The court emphasized the importance of a second post-mortem examination in uncovering the truth, leading to the order for the exhumation of Faizan’s body.
Justice Rajasekhar Mantha stated, “The body of the victim was laid to rest in accordance with Muslim customs in Assam. Therefore, the body of Faizan Ahmed is to be exhumed.” He further instructed the investigating officer to coordinate with the Assam Police to facilitate the transportation of the remains to Kolkata, where a fresh post-mortem examination will be conducted.
Earlier in the proceedings, the court had reprimanded the director of IIT-Kharagpur, situated in West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur district, for failing to take action on a ragging complaint, which was followed by the student’s untimely demise.