The high court has constituted an “independent team” to investigate the death of IIT Kharagpur student Faizan Ahmed in October 2022.
Justice Rajasekhar Mantha ordered the constitution of the team after going through “new evidence in the second post-mortem report”.
“This court, considering the entire facts and circumstances of the case and the new evidence in the second post-mortem report, is inclined to replace the existing investigating officer in the matter with an independent team. This court directs the appointment of Mr K. Jayaraman, IPS, ADG headquarters, West Bengal, to lead the investigation. He shall be in charge of the investigation,” Justice Mantha’s order says.
“Mr Jayaraman will be assisted by Mr Susanta Dhar, a retired senior officer of the homicide division of Calcutta Police who shall also act as a liaison with the investigating officer. Mr Kaushik Basak, currently OC, homicide, of the CID, West Bengal, is appointed as the new IO who shall function under the supervision and guidance of Mr Jayaraman.”
The new investigating team will submit a progress report to the court on July 12.
The team may select other officers to assist them and form sub-teams for a speedy investigation.
The court expects all parties to cooperate in the investigation given the new evidence that has emerged from the second post-mortem.
Forensic medicine expert Ajay Kumar Gupta, who conducted the second autopsy on the high court’s order, has said in the report that the “manner of death of Faizan Ahmed... was homicidal in nature”.
“In view of the serious omissions in the first post-mortem report and the misdirection of the earlier investigation, this court permits the newly appointed investigating team to, if necessary, conduct a truth serum and narco analysis test on any of the witnesses or persons they deem necessary to throw light on the incident,” the order says.
The first post-mortem on Faizan, who was found dead in a hostel room on the campus in October 2022, was conducted at the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital. It allegedly failed to explain how he died.
The police had said after the first autopsy that Faizan had killed himself.
The report of the second post-mortem, conducted at the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital in May, says: “Manner of death.… was antemortem injuries, homicidal in nature.”
Faizan’s remains were exhumed from a burial ground in Assam’s Dibrugarh, his hometown, for the second autopsy following a high court order.
IPS officer Jayaraman told Metro on Wednesday that he was yet to get a copy of the court order. “I am not aware of the details as I have not yet received the court order. It would come through the legal cell,” he said.
Faizan’s parents had in an application filed before Justice Mantha on Monday said no purpose was likely to be served by allowing West Midnapore police to continue with the investigation and “the same should be handed over to an SIT, constituted by this court”.
Lawyer Samrat Sen, who represented the state government, said during Wednesday’s hearing that the government wanted a medical board to examine the post-mortem reports of the deceased student so the discrepancies between the two reports could be resolved and the investigation carried forward based on what the board found.
The judge turned down the appeal.
When contacted, Sen declined to comment.
Dhritiman Sarkar, superintendent of police, WestMidnapore, told this newspaper: “We will take necessary action after going through the order.”
Calls and text messages from this newspaper to the IIT Kharagpur director, V.K. Tewari, went unanswered.
Faizan’s mother Rehana Ahmed said: “The court has accepted our contention that West Midnpore police was not competent for the investigation.”
The family alleged that Faizan was murdered because he dared to resist ragging by senior students.
Faizan’s remains
“The body of the victim shall be forthwith transported back to Dibrugarh by the state within 3 days...” the order says.