Kolkata: After more than six months of the formation of a Special Investigation Team to uncover the motive and the perpetrators behind the brutal murder of IIT Kharagpur student Faizan Ahmed, it seems the SIT’s probe is centering around the suicide angle of the IITian rather than the murder, as established in the second postmortem report.
The SIT submitted its first report before Justice Jay Sengupta of Calcutta High Court and sought more time to reach any final conclusion in the high-profile case. The SIT sent two items to CFSL, Chandigarh including the blood samples of parents to determine their DNA and is waiting for the reports to further their investigation.
In their report, the SIT mentioned that they questioned a few students in this regard. However, neither the names of the students were revealed nor the report was shared among the counsels. The report tried to highlight that Faizan bought two containers of sodium nitrate from Amazon.
All this progress did not satisfy Faizan Ahmed’s counsel Ranajit Chatterjee, who told eNewsroom, “The investigation is motivated and pre-decided.”
Earlier, before the court, Chatterjee argued to remind the SIT that why earlier courts believed that his client was murdered, “We cannot brush aside the order of the higher court. In the primary reports it was mentioned that the blade was recovered outside the room, and a second blood group was also found in Faizan’s room. While no poison has been found in the Viscera. The primary report also pointed out that the injuries are not self-inflicted but done earlier to the murder.”
He pointed out two important aspects in the case related to SIT’s findings that no poison substance was found in the body of the deceased and out of the two containers purchased by Faizan, one was not found in the room. In fact, sodium nitrate was traced on his skin.
Chatterjee also pointed out that there were haemorrhage signs on the body of Faizan. When Faizan’s counsel mentioned that they (SIT) cannot brush aside the second postmortem report. To which Justice Jay Sengupta reacted, “Of course not,” and also expressed surprise that the kind of answers students are giving are contrary to the autopsy report.
The lawyer representing IIT Kharagpur repeated the same point that within a day of the recovery of the body, the father claimed it was a murder and lodged the case to extort money from the IIT.
When eNewsroom tried to speak to SIT team member Shankar Choudhury after the hearing, he had tailor-made answers like, “I can not say much at this juncture. And very soon, we will get the result.”
On the question of why the SIT did not conduct Narco Analysis or Truth Serum tests on any of the suspects so far, Choudhury said, “We will do it when the need arises.”
DNA Vs Narco Analysis and Truth Serum tests
The reaction of Faizan’s mother after the hearing was, “I am shocked to know the development that the SIT had nothing more in the report other than talking to students and taking our blood for DNA tests. And that they are waiting for some CFSL report.”
Rehana, recently returned to Assam after interacting with SIT officials and visiting IIT Kharagpur. After her meetings, she was hopeful that SIT will soon find out the killers of her only child, an extra-ordinary IITian. She expressed shock and claimed, “My son’s murder was a pre-planned one. The single and division bench also consider it a homicide. They formed the SIT to probe further. The court had also ordered a Narco Analysis or Truth Serum test. Now the question is, whoever did this, will accept it so easily before the SIT that without Narco Analysis and Truth Serum test, they will get the truth? And when the second postmortem report confirmed that it is a murder, why on earth are they not probing further but going on the claim of IIT Kharagpur authorities that it was a suicide?” a frustrated mother questioned.
A 23-year-old resident of Tinsukia, Assam, Faizan was a third-year student of IIT Kharagpur. The partially decomposed body of Faizan was recovered on October 14, 2022, from one of its hostels inside the campus.
After getting the news, when parents reached IIT Kharagpur, police and IIT KGP authorities claimed that Faizan committed suicide. But after the first autopsy, the cause of death could not be established. Parents moved Calcutta High Court, where also Kharagpur police failed to give any reason for the death. Court of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha appointed a retired forensic expert, who after going through videos of the first autopsy claimed that there are haemorrhage signs. He requested a fresh autopsy, which the court granted. After second postmortem, court ordered that Faizan did not do suicide but it was a case of homicide. Court also constituted an SIT. IIT authorities and the Bengal government both reached the division bench. But the two Justices, comprising Chief Justice, upheld the judgement and continued with the SIT led by senior IPS K Jayaraman.
