IIT-Kgp ragging case: Calcutta HC orders new autopsy after evidence of injury

The Calcutta High Court has ordered a fresh post-mortem of Faizan Ahmed, a third-year mechanical engineering student of IIT Kharagpur, after an expert committee appointed by the court submitted a report stating that Ahmed had been hit on the back of the head.

Ahmed's body was found in a room in Lala Lajpat Rai Hall of IIT Kharagpur on October 14, 2022, and the police had classified it as a suicide. However, Ahmed's father filed a case in the High Court, alleging that his son had been murdered after being subjected to ragging.

The court ordered the formation of an expert committee, which submitted its report on April 25, 2023. The report stated that Ahmed had been hit on the back of the head and that an attempt had been made to divert attention by chopping off his hand. The report also revealed that narcotics had been found at the scene, including a substance used to prevent meat from rotting, which can also be used as poison.

Advocate Sandeep Bhattacharya, who is representing Ahmed's father, stated that the post-mortem report submitted by the police made no mention of the head injury. He argued that the hematoma was visible to the naked eye, and its absence from the report was suspicious.

The High Court agreed and ordered a fresh post-mortem, which is to be conducted by Dr. Gupta and a former PM doctor at the Calcutta Medical College, College Street. The post-mortem must be completed within a month, and the next hearing is scheduled for June 30.