The city police on Saturday said Sourav Chowdhury, a former student of the Jadavpur University who was arrested in connection with the death of first-year student Swapnadip Kundu, and “others” had tortured the teenager and thrown him to the ground, causing his death.
Around 11.30pm on Wednesday, Sourav along with others committed “wilful murder of the complainant’s son named Swapnadip, by means of torture and throwing him on the ground from hostel building in front of A2 Block inside the Main Hostel campus of Jadavpur University”, a senior police officer said.
“We have submitted before the court that the FIR-named person, Sourav Chowdhury, in connivance with others had tortured the victim and thrown him from the hostel to the ground floor,” the officer said.
The police have charged Sourav under sections of murder and common intention after receiving a complaint from Swapnadip’s father Ramprasad Kundu.
Sourav was produced before the additional chief judicial magistrate, Alipore,
on Saturday. The court remanded him in police custody till August 22.
Sources said that “based on technical surveillance”, Sourav was picked up from the crossing of Uday Sankar Sarani and Golf Club Road around 3.30pm on Friday and taken to Kasba police station for interrogation. He was arrested later at night. He was making “inconsistent statements”, the police said.
Swapnadip’s father had mentioned Sourav and another student as instrumental in getting his son accommodation in the hostel. Ramprasad had accused Sourav of leading a group that allegedly caused Swapnadip’s death.
Sourav’s defence counsel said he was innocent and had no role in the incident except that he arranged Swapnadip’s accommodation.
“My client neither lived in that room nor was his phone used by the deceased to make calls. He is innocent,” the defence lawyer said.
The public prosecutor countered the argument and said several students have been questioned and two mobile phones seized. “We need remand of the accused for detailed questioning and reconstruction of the incident,” the public prosecutor said.
The court rejected Sourav’s bail prayer.
Sourav, an MSc in mathematics, who passed out from Jadavpur University last year, is from Chandrakona in West Midnapore. His family told reporters that their son was “innocent” and had been “framed”.
During the investigation, the police said they found a yellow diary from the belongings of Swapnadip that were seized from the room where he was staying.
An officer said they were in the process of analysing the contents of the diary and if it held any clue about the alleged ragging he was subjected to.
A senior police officer attached to the probe said cops were on the lookout for a few other former students who were allegedly present in the hostel at the time of the incident.
“We are not ruling out anything at this time. Several students and former students are under surveillance,” the officer said.
The family of the deceased has named another student in their complaint along with Sourav saying he, too, was instrumental in getting Swapnadip into the hostel. Swapnadip was staying as a “guest” of this student.
A Kolkata police team visited Swapnadip’s Nadia home to meet his family and collect more details about him.
Child rights panel
The West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights has written to Bengal governor C.V. Ananda Bose, who is the chancellor of Jadavpur University, requesting him to enquire and take “necessary steps that may seem fit and proper” and share his report with the commission.
Swapnadip was 17. He would have turned 18 in October.
The child rights panel has also sought an action-taken report from the Kolkata police commissioner on how such an unfortunate incident could occur on the premises of an educational institution’s hostel.
The commission has sought a list of unauthorised residents and the reasons behind their presence (in the hostel) from the police, said commission chairperson Sudeshna Roy on Saturday.
The commission has also asked for CCTV footage from the hostel premises.