The Kolkata police on Sunday registered a case of murder into the death of a 17-year-old student from Kolkata, who was found dead on July 14 in a women’s hostel at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, officials familiar with the matter said.
However, the victim’s family has alleged a foul play and police inaction into the matter.
The development came after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee spoke to the victim’s father on Sunday. State minister Aroop Biswas on Sunday went to meet the family in south Kolkata. A team of sleuths from Kolkata may also soon visit Vizag.
“We have lodged a complaint with Kolkata police on the advice of Biswas. The chief minister spoke to us over phone and has assured us of all help,” said the victim’s father.
He said that the girl had enrolled for an educational package provided by a company and was preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) while giving class 12 exams in Andhra Pradesh. For this, she was staying at a women’s hostel in Visakhapatnam since May 2022.
On the night of July 14, the victim’s parents in Kolkata got a call from the company authorities (who offered the education package) saying that she has sustained injuries after falling from the terrace of the hostel.
{{/usCountry}}On the night of July 14, the victim’s parents in Kolkata got a call from the company authorities (who offered the education package) saying that she has sustained injuries after falling from the terrace of the hostel.
{{/usCountry}}“Later, we were told that she fell down the stairs. We rushed to Vizag on July 15 and shifted her to another hospital for better treatment. The victim succumbed to her injuries on July 16,” said the father.
They alleged that it was not an accident and that there was some foul play behind the girl’s death.
“The Andhra Pradesh police, however, have registered a case under section 174 [police to enquire and report on suicide]. We moved the Andhra Pradesh high court and filed a a writ petition seeking a court-monitored probe on August 8,” the victim’s father said adding that the court, after hearing the matter, on August 10, appointed a court commissioner to collect the CCTV footages from the hostel and other documents. The court commissioner has been asked to file a report within the next 15 days.
An officer from the Netaji Nagar police station in Kolkata said, “We have registered a FIR under sections of 302 [murder] and 120b [criminal conspiracy] after receiving a complaint from the victim’s father.” Further investigation in the matter is underway, the officer added.
The deputy commissioner of Visakhapatnam police couldn’t be contacted even after repeated calls.
Earlier on July 25, a 19-year-old B. Tech student from Midnapore, who was studying at a college in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur, died after falling from the 11th floor of the hostel.