Kolkata: Since the dead body of Faizan Ahmed, a third-year student at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, was recovered inside the hostel of the premier institute, IIT authorities steadfastly denied that the extraordinarily talented student had been murdered. They consistently maintained that the 23-year-old, the only child of Rehana and Salim Ahmed, residents of Tinsukia, Assam, had committed suicide. The authorities claimed that Faizan was depressed and had taken this drastic step. However, from the time of his death, his parents have maintained that their son was murdered.
When Kharagpur police and the initial postmortem failed to provide satisfactory answers to the grieving family, the parents moved the Calcutta High Court.
A Daunting Challenge Against State and IIT
In the High Court, the parents faced not only the formidable IIT but also the state government, which consistently claimed that the Kharagpur police investigation was fair. With the assistance of Salim’s friend, the family secured an excellent legal team, including Ranajit Chatterjee and Aniruddha Mitra.
During the High Court proceedings, the police again failed to ascertain the cause of death before Justice Rajasekhar Manta. The court ordered a second postmortem, which established that Faizan had been murdered. Justice Manta constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to further investigate the case, replacing the police. During the hearing, Justice Manta verbally indicated to IIT lawyers that the court would not hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The court also believed that, as a centrally funded organization, it was preferable to handle the case within the jurisdiction of the local police rather than transferring it to the CBI.
State and IIT Challenge Orders in Division Bench
Before the division bench comprising Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmai Bhattacharyya, the state government filed a petition against the SIT formation, while IIT Kharagpur sought to quash the entire case. The state was represented by the Additional Advocate General (ADG), and IIT presented its best legal counsel to attempt to halt the proceedings.
During the hearing, lawyers for the state and IIT employed various tactics to persuade the division bench in their favor. IIT lawyers, in their verbal submissions, not only repeatedly claimed that the case had been filed by the parents to extort money from IIT but also asserted that Faizan’s case was not one of ragging.
However, neither the state’s demand to replace the SIT nor the claim of IIT lawyers that it was a case of suicide, not homicide, was accepted. The only order the Division Bench issued was to remove two officers who were under the supervision of ADG K Jayaraman. The court stated that the ADG, who would lead the SIT, could select his own team.
Now, following the Division Bench’s order, regardless of the eventual outcome, the Calcutta High Court has established that Faizan’s case is of a ‘homicidal’ nature and not a suicide, as IIT authorities have claimed. This order may also expedite the resolution of the 10-month-old case, leading to a quicker conclusion and enabling the discovery not only of the culprits but also the motive behind the brutal murder of one of India’s most talented young students.
Battle for Justice Amidst Ruined Lives
In the similar case of the alleged ragging and murder of Swapnadip Kundu at Jadavpur University, several protests erupted across Bengal and Kolkata. People from Nadia district, Swapnadip’s native place, marched to Jadavpur University demanding justice. It was the pressure of these protests that transformed the initial suicide narrative into a murder investigation within two days, prompting swift action by Kolkata police.
However, Rehana and Salim Ahmed have been fighting a solitary battle for the past 10 months against the powerful forces of the state government and IIT.
During the second postmortem, Faizan’s mother, Rehana, stayed in Kolkata for 21 days with her son’s body.
“During the day, we go to court to meet lawyers or to the police mortuary, and at night, we pray for justice,” said Salim. “Rehana’s life has been completely shattered. She neither eats properly nor sleeps well. Sometimes she remains awake all night, convinced that our son will return at any moment.”
The order by the division bench has provided significant relief to the grieving mother, Rehana, and the despairing father, offering them a glimmer of hope that they will soon receive justice.
