Kolkata: Nearly four years after losing her only son, Rehana Ahmed has returned to Kolkata with one hope—to secure justice for 23-year-old IIT Kharagpur student Faizan Ahmed, whose death was initially declared a suicide before a court-ordered second autopsy concluded that he had been murdered.
The grieving mother wants to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and seek the state government’s support in ensuring that the stalled investigation finally reaches its logical conclusion.
A resident of Tinsukia in Assam, Rehana believes the change in government has revived hope in a case that has remained in limbo despite repeated interventions by the Calcutta High Court.
From IIT Dream to a Mysterious Death
Faizan Ahmed, the only child of Salim and Rehana Ahmed, was a brilliant student from Assam who cracked the IIT-JEE in 2020 with an All India Rank (AIR) of 11 before choosing to pursue Mechanical Engineering at IIT Kharagpur. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he joined the campus only in December 2021. During his brief stay, he became involved in two robotics-related research projects, earning recognition as a promising young researcher.
Less than a year after arriving on campus, tragedy struck. In October 2022, Faizan’s partially decomposed body was found inside his hostel room. The initial post-mortem concluded that he had died by suicide—a finding his parents refused to accept.
Court-Ordered Autopsy Changed Everything
Refusing to accept the suicide theory, Faizan’s parents approached the Calcutta High Court.
The High Court first appointed a retired forensic expert who, after examining photographs of the body, pointed to signs of haemorrhage and recommended a second post-mortem examination.
The second post-mortem transformed the investigation. It concluded that Faizan had been murdered, prompting the Calcutta High Court to declare the case a homicide and constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the killing.
Although IIT Kharagpur challenged the order before a Division Bench, the High Court upheld the decision. Despite this, the investigation has made little visible progress over the past four years.
A Grieving Mother’s Hope Rests on the New Government
“In 2022, after receiving the news of Faizan’s death, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote to the then West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, seeking justice. He later also demanded a CBI investigation into the case,” Rehana said.
She said she had also written to the National Commission for Minorities and to Mamata Banerjee, but received no response that brought the investigation forward.
“I believe the new government will ensure justice. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has reopened several cases from the previous regime. I hope he will also help us get justice for my son,” she said.
Rehana said her hopes have been renewed because the new government has announced fresh investigations into several high-profile cases from the previous administration, including the alleged murders of student leader Anish Khan and minor girl Tamanna.
Rehana and her husband, Salim Ahmed, have been in Kolkata since July 17, hoping to meet the Chief Minister. They had been given an appointment to meet him at the BJP party office on Wednesday, but the meeting could not take place as the Chief Minister did not visit the office that day.
The couple says they are determined to remain in Kolkata until they get an opportunity to place their plea before the Chief Minister, hoping that after nearly four years, their long wait for justice will finally begin to move forward.
Rehana’s battle for justice comes at a time when lakhs of students across India are protesting over paper leaks, alleged examination irregularities and the demand for a fair, transparent and accountable education system. While their protests focus on the integrity of examinations, her four-year struggle raises another equally urgent question: Can India’s educational institutions truly claim excellence if they fail to guarantee the safety, dignity and justice of the students entrusted to them?
For Rehana Ahmed, the fight is no longer just about solving her son’s murder. It is about ensuring that no other parent has to spend years seeking answers after sending a child to one of the country’s most prestigious educational institutions.
