Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has once again urged the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the murder case of IITian Faizan Ahmed, to expedite its proceedings. Justice Jay Sengupta’s court also stated that the SIT cannot independently file a final report, and the court will review the investigation before making a decision.
In November 2023 also, Jay Sengupta’s court had criticized the SIT for delaying in zeroing on the accused and coming up with anything concrete in the case.
On October 14, 2022, the partially decomposed body of third-year IIT Kharagpur student Faizan Ahmed was recovered from a hostel room on the campus. Faizan, a resident of Tinsukia, Assam, was admitted to IIT Kharagpur during the lockdown in 2020, and he officially joined the campus in December 2021. While Kharagpur police and IIT authorities both claimed that Faizan, who had secured the 11th rank in the Joint Entrance Examination and became part of two research teams in IIT KGP, had committed suicide, his parents claimed he was murdered. The family moved to the Calcutta High Court for justice. Justice Rajsekhar Mantha asked Kharagpur police to ascertain the cause of death. However, even after the first postmortem report, the police could not establish the cause of death, and the court appointed forensic expert Dr. Ajoy Gupta. After reviewing the video clips of the first autopsy, a haemorrhage on Faizan’s body was identified. Dr. Gupta requested the court to order a fresh postmortem, which was granted. Subsequently, after the second autopsy, it was established that Faizan was murdered and had not committed suicide. In June 2023, Justice Mantha constituted an SIT. However, both IIT Kharagpur authorities and Bengal police moved to the division bench challenging the decision.
However, the division bench comprising Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmai Bhattacharyya upheld the order and also mentioned that further investigation would be conducted based on the outcome of the second postmortem report.
One of the lawyers representing the family, Niladri Sekhar Ghosh, submitted an application before the court on Tuesday. It said, ‘The second postmortem, which was conducted in May last year, suggested that the death could be a result of homicide. The SIT should submit its progress report in light of this fact.”
“I have been telling the SIT since its constitution that the decisions of two courts have indicated that it was a case of homicide, and further probe will take place based on the findings of the second autopsy. But it has been eight months, and the SIT has made no progress,” Rehana told eNewsroom after Tuesday’s court hearing.
The mother continued, “And now I doubt that they are not taking possession of the belongings of Faizan, which could be vital evidence. The phone and laptop of Faizan could shed light on the accused, but the SIT is not disclosing what they obtained from there.”
“I feel that the SIT, rather than revealing, is hiding about the accused,” she added.
