The IIT Kharagpur director on Tuesday submitted a report to Calcutta High Court in a sealed cover on the steps the institution had taken following the receipt of information about what appeared to the court to be a clear case of “ragging”.
The court had sought the report while hearing a case about the death of Faizan Ahmed, a third-year student who was found dead in a hostel room on the campus on October 14. The Kharagpur Town police, too, submitted a report in a sealed cover about the progress in the probe into the death.
The court had on November 9 ordered the director to file a report on November 22 stating the steps it had taken, based on the Supreme Court’s guidelines, in regard to an assimilation programme on the campus that Faizan’s family has described as “collective ragging”.
The judge handed copies of the reports to the lawyers appearing for Faizan’s parents and asked them to file their replies by November 28.
The matter will be heard again on November 30. Sources at the IIT said the report purportedly said the institute received a complaint of a fight involving students from the second, third and fourth years in early February.
The report says, according to the IIT sources, a follow-up action from the institute remained restricted to suspending the event (assimilation programme) and intimating the complainants about the steps taken.
Director V.K. Tewari’s report purportedly says Faizan was satisfied with the steps the hostel authorities took. Calls and text messages to the director failed to elicit any response.
The petition by Faizan’s parents says he had declined to be part of the “assimilation programme” at the Rajendra Pratap Hall of Residence in February and March. Faizan was in second year then.