At a time when many in the city are out on the streets seeking justice for the rape and murder of the 31-year postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, a city court is hearing a case of abetment to suicide against senior students of Jadavpur University.

A 17-year-old JU student fell to his death from the second floor of the university’s main hostel in August last year. There were allegations that he was sexually harassed and ragged by the senior students in the hostel hours before his death on August 10.

The POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) court in Alipore heard submissions in connection with the death of the first-year undergraduate JU student on Tuesday and Wednesday. A handwriting expert was among those making submissions.

In his submission before Justice Sudipta Bhattacharjee, the handwriting expert from the CID said a letter addressed to the university’s dean of students, which was found among the belongings of the deceased JU student, was not written by the first-year student.

He said the deceased signed the letter but he did not write it.

Police had earlier said they were trying to find out whether the boy wrote the letter or if it was “manufactured” to mislead the investigation.

Three days after the student died in the early hours of August 10, 2023, the police said they found a letter addressed to the dean of students in his diary.

Metro was present in the courtroom on Wednesday when the case was heard.

The letter mentioned the name of a senior student who, it said, told the victim that junior students at the main hostel were made to do tasks for seniors and if they disobeyed, the juniors were threatened that they would be thrown from the hostel’s rooftop.

The deceased student did not write the letter, the handwriting expert said in his hour-long deposition on Wednesday.

He said the letter was written by another JU student who was arrested on August 13 last year in connection with the death.

Advocate Sanjay Basu represented some of the accused JU students now in judicial custody.

Basu declined comment when this newspaper sought his response on Wednesday’s proceedings.

Bivas Chatterjee, the public prosecutor who represented the deceased boy’s family, also declined comment.

Officers of Kolkata Police who visited the victim’s house in Nadia on August 12 last year collected samples of his handwriting. The samples were sent to handwriting experts.

As the first-year student who died was a minor, the police had to add sections of the POCSO Act in the case.

The hearing was taking place days after the parents of the deceased JU student were called to Lalbazar, the police headquarters, where senior officers briefed them about the status of the trial.

The bereaved father was present at the Alipore court on Wednesday.

He said he was among thousands who wanted justice for what had happened at RG Kar but was upset that “we are yet to get justice”.

He told this newspaper that in recent times he has seen JU students taking part in movements seeking justice for the RG Kar doctor.

“As a grieving father, I also want justice for the RG Kar victim. But unfortunately, they have not been as vocal in ensuring justice for one of their students. Have they ever sought to know from the police when we will get justice? They seem to have abandoned my son,” he said.

He blamed the university for failing to take “any action” against the offenders even after the JU’s internal probe showed that the senior students had tortured his son.

“I keep coming to the court with the hope that the trial would be expedited and those responsible for the death of my son will be punished,” he said.

The case will be again heard on October 4.