BTech student dies, parents cry foul

Bhubaneswar: A first-year B.Tech student of a private engineering college in Bhubaneswar died on Saturday night in a suspected case of suicide, while his parents have alleged foul play. On Sunday, the victim’s father lodged a complaint at Infocity police station against the college management, alleging negligence leading to his son’s death.The student was from Jagatsinghpur district.College authorities informed the family that the student had allegedly attempted suicide, while the parents claimed he was a victim of ragging. According to the father, the college authorities informed him late on Saturday that his son had been admitted to a nearby private hospital after he was found unconscious in his hostel room. He was later told that his son died during treatment. “I was told that he had attempted suicide. He called us around 10 pm (on Saturday) and said he was going for dinner. Barely an hour later, the college authorities informed us that he had been taken to hospital,” the father said.He added that when he visited the hostel room after the incident, he found a chair placed on the bed and a towel hanging from the ceiling fan. “But there is no way he could have taken the step because he told us everything. He sounded normal when we spoke to him,” he said.Following the student’s death, protests erupted on campus, with a section of students alleging that he was subjected to ragging by seniors. The parents also alleged that they earlier informed the college and hostel authorities about ragging, but no action was taken against the accused students.College authorities, however, denied any foul play and said the student was rushed to hospital immediately after they received information about the incident.“The Infocity police have been informed and an investigation is underway,” a college official said. The official added that the institution has an anti-ragging committee in place and that no formal complaint of ragging was received from the victim. “The exact circumstances leading to his death will become clear only after the police investigation is completed,” the official added.Bhubaneswar: A first-year B.Tech student of a private engineering college in Bhubaneswar died on Saturday night in a suspected case of suicide, while his parents have alleged foul play. On Sunday, the victim’s father lodged a complaint at Infocity police station against the college management, alleging negligence leading to his son’s death.The student was from Jagatsinghpur district.College authorities informed the family that the student had allegedly attempted suicide, while the parents claimed he was a victim of ragging. According to the father, the college authorities informed him late on Saturday that his son had been admitted to a nearby private hospital after he was found unconscious in his hostel room. He was later told that his son died during treatment. “I was told that he had attempted suicide. He called us around 10 pm (on Saturday) and said he was going for dinner. Barely an hour later, the college authorities informed us that he had been taken to hospital,” the father said.He added that when he visited the hostel room after the incident, he found a chair placed on the bed and a towel hanging from the ceiling fan. “But there is no way he could have taken the step because he told us everything. He sounded normal when we spoke to him,” he said.Following the student’s death, protests erupted on campus, with a section of students alleging that he was subjected to ragging by seniors. The parents also alleged that they earlier informed the college and hostel authorities about ragging, but no action was taken against the accused students.College authorities, however, denied any foul play and said the student was rushed to hospital immediately after they received information about the incident.“The Infocity police have been informed and an investigation is underway,” a college official said. The official added that the institution has an anti-ragging committee in place and that no formal complaint of ragging was received from the victim. “The exact circumstances leading to his death will become clear only after the police investigation is completed,” the official added.