Jadavpur University student death: Bengal child rights panel examines POCSO angle

But to make such an official recommendation, the panel needs to first get a copy of the FIR, WBCPCR chairperson Sudeshna Roy said on Monday (August 14).

The panel has already studied other documents concerning the age of the boy and is now ascertaining exactly what he went through on August 9 evening and night at the hostel, she said.

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Since the boy was aged below 18, the commission, after talking to his family and studying the circumstances leading to his fall and death, believes that the case be treated under provisions of POCSO. However, official documents, like the FIR copy, is needed for any such final recommendation, Roy told PTI.

WBCPCR asks for FIR copy

“We have asked the police for a copy of the FIR filed after his fall from the balcony and his death. We have also perused other documents, including age-related ones. Going by the chain of events, as narrated, leading to the death of the minor, prima facie, we have reason to suggest that it be dealt with under POCSO,” she said.

WBCPCR advisor Ananya Chatterjee Chakraborty said in a Facebook post that the boy should not be identified, as he was a minor. “The deceased student of Jadavpur University is a minor and a ‘POCSO’ victim. Kindly do not use his NAME,” she posted on social media.

The commission in a statement said on Saturday, “We are deeply concerned about the incident in which a 17+ minor boy, a first-year student of Jadavpur University, died under debatable circumstances in the hostel premises.

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“It is further alleged that his life ended due to dubious behaviour and actions of people who were staying in the hostel, some of whom were allegedly outsiders and illegal residents. The Commission has taken a grave view of the incident,” the statement added.

Letter to Governor

Roy told PTI that a letter has been sent to the Governor of West Bengal, CV Ananda Bose, who is the Chancellor of Jadavpur University, requesting him to inquire and take necessary steps “that he may see fit and proper”.

“WBCPCR has also requested him (the governor) to share a report with the Commission,” she said.

A letter has also been sent to the Commissioner of Kolkata Police, asking for an action-taken report and one on how such an incident occurred within the premises of an educational institution’s hostel, she said.

Roy said the WBCPCR has asked for a full list of unauthorised residents and the reasons behind their presence. It has also asked for the CCTV footage of the hostel premises and what came out of it, she said.

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UGC rules “flouted”

“The university authorities cannot skirt their responsibility. Why are UGC rules flouted by not having CCTV in the hostel compound? Why are gates open for certain outsiders even at night? We came to know during our visit that many such persons have been living there for years even after graduating and have unhindered access to the hostel,” she said, narrating her experience of the visit to the main boys’ hostel on Sunday night.

“We were told by a hostel official that he is not allowed to crack the whip by some of these people overstaying in the hostel. If he takes steps, like having CCTV and monitoring, some of them would launch movements like gherao immediately,” she said.

The commission talked to the hostel superintendent, second-year students at the main hostel where the incident took place, and the first-year students who were shifted to a separate hostel building on Sunday evening.

“Being 17- or 18-year-old boys, they are obviously mentally disturbed about the incident. We gently spoke to them to calm them down and asked them about the incident,” she added about the first-year students.

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WBCRCR meets boy’s family

The commission on Sunday also visited the Nadia residence of the undergraduate student.

Led by Chatterjee Chakraborty, the team first went to the house of the 17-year-old boy in Nadia district and met his family members. Later, they went to the JU main hostel campus in Kolkata where the student died.

Chatterjee Chakraborty claimed that the teen’s death was a clear case of physical assault and asserted that they would “recommend stringent punishment” against those involved in the “unpardonable crime”.

“We spoke to the family members of the student. We were told that he was severely assaulted and cigarette burn marks were found all over his body,” she told reporters.

The WBCRCR adviser said, “This is an unpardonable and heinous crime. Those behind his death are all adults.”

At the boys’ hostel, the team members were shown the spot where the first-year student of Bengali honours fell from the second-floor balcony. He fell around 11.45 pm on August 9 and died while undergoing treatment at a hospital the next day.

So far, two students and a former student have been arrested in the case, a senior police officer said.

(With agency inputs)