Calcutta High Court forms SIT, Permits Narco Tests for Suspects

Kolkata: In connection with IIT Kharagpur student Faizan Ahmed’s murder case, Calcutta High Court on Wednesday formed a three-member Special Investigation Team led by Indian Police Service officer K Jayaraman to investigate further into the murder.

The court of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha removed the present Investigative Officer (IO) and said that the SIT could conduct Truth Serum or Narco Analysis Tests on suspicious persons.

The 1997 batch IPS officer K Jayaraman had come to the limelight when he ordered the arrest of the Malda District Magistrate G. Kiran Kumar for committing alleged financial irregularities during his tenure at the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA).

The SIT Team

Jayaraman will be assisted by Susanta Dhar, a retired Senior Officer of the Homicide Division of the Calcutta Police who shall also act as a liaison with the Investigating Officer. Kaushik Basak currently OC, Homicide of the CID, West Bengal, is appointed as the new IO who shall function under the supervision and guidance of the IPS officer.

Justice Mantha also mentioned that the SIT can add new members to the team.

The order reads, “The entire case diary, evidence and material collected by the existing Investigating Officer be handed over to Jayaraman and his team. The newly appointed investigating team may select other officers to assist them and form sub-teams for the purpose of expedition and urgency.”

It further reads, “In view of the serious omissions in the first post mortem report and the misdirection of the earlier investigation, this Court permits the newly appointed investigating team to, if necessary, conduct a truth serum and narco analysis test on any of the witnesses or persons they deem necessary to throw light on the incident.”

On taking back body of Faizan

In his order, Justice Mantha also pointed out that the remains of Faizan which has been lying in Kolkata for 21 days now should be sent back to Dibrugarh within three days. And the state government will be bearing the expenses of the mother’s travel cost too.

On October 14, 2022, Faizan Ahmed, a third-year student of IIT Kharagpur was found dead in his hostel. The Tinsukia resident, 23-year-old Faizan was the only child of Salim and Rehana Ahmed.

 IIT-K authorities had claimed that the mechanical engineering student had committed suicide. The family, however, remain claiming that their son was murdered. The post-mortem report also could not put light on any concrete cause for the death. Faizan’s parents moved to Calcutta High Court. The Court appointed a retired forensic expert Dr Ajay Kumar Gupta to find out the cause of the death.

Dr Gupta, after going through the video clippings of the first autopsy report, requested the high court to conduct a second post-mortem. He also wanted to conduct it at Calcutta Medical College, which the court granted. The remains of Faizan were exhumed from Dibrugarh and flown to Kolkata, where a second autopsy was performed.

On June 6, the court said that Faizan’s death was a ‘Homicidal Murder’. And said that on June 14th’s hearing an SIT, comprising state officials will be constituted.

After hearing the order, Rehana Ahmed, mother of Faizan reacted, “Today’s order by Kolkata High Court is in the right direction and it has brightened our hope to get justice. Since my child was murdered. I was looking for an answer, who killed him and why? Now, I hope the SIT will find out the truth.”

“I also believe that SIT will understand the pain of a mother, whose brilliant son was killed, and will help us get justice as soon as possible,” she added.

Ranajit Chatterjee, one of the advocates of Faizan’s parents told eNewsroom, “It is extremely satisfying to see that due to the intervention of the Hon’ble High Court, the law has been allowed to take its own course, notwithstanding the resistance of IIT and the Kharagpur police.”

The next hearing will be on July the 12th.