IIT Kharagpur student was murdered; second forensic report says gunshot, stab wounds found on neck

According to the report prepared by Dr A K Gupta, Faizan’s neck showed signs of a gunshot wound on the upper left side and a stab wound on the right.

However, these injuries were not documented by police during the initial investigation nor were they filmed during the first autopsy conducted at Midnapore Medical College in October 2022, sources said.

After Faizan’s mother Rehana moved the High Court seeking the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe his death, the court had in May 2023 ordered the exhumation of his body and a second post-mortem examination. The court had stated that it was “necessary to bring out the truth behind the death”.

ADG K Jayaraman, who heads the SIT probing the death, told The Indian Express Friday: “We have submitted our findings of the investigation in the High Court. You may see. We have not found any clue on homicide.” He refused to elaborate, saying the matter is sub judice.

The 23-year-old Faizan, who hailed from Tinsukia in Assam, was a third-year mechanical engineering student. He was found dead in a room – not the one allotted to him — at Lala Lajpat Rai Hostel on October 14, 2022.

Although initial reports suggested that he had died by suicide, his family had alleged foul play, saying he had been ragged on campus.

The forensic expert’s report also states that human blood was detected on nail cuttings and hair strands of Faizan, and on his spine, mandible and the muscles on his back, sources said.

The autopsy conducted by Dr Gupta also revealed other crucial details. First, the right temporal bone of Ahmed’s skull was missing, which matched the photographs taken when his body was initially discovered. Second, the report definitively ruled out poisoning, a theory previously considered.

While Faizan’s family has maintained he could not have committed suicide, it has taken multiple interventions by the court to bring the truth to light.

It was the Calcutta High Court that ordered the SIT to probe the case, during which it emerged that Faizan had complained of ragging to the IIT Kharagpur authorities. This prompted the court to reprimand the institute’s director for not acting on the ragging complaint. It was only in February 2023 that police registered a ragging case in which six people, including students and staff, surrendered and were eventually released on bail.

Further, a fresh forensic report was only made possible because the High Court, in March 2023, directed that Faizan’s body be exhumed for a thorough re-examination.

With the forensic report confirming that he was murdered, investigators now face a new challenge – of ascertaining who killed him. The police probe has, according to Faizan’s family and lawyer, been lacking so far. It took police three days to find the body, which was discovered in a decomposed state on the campus. The initial post-mortem lacked details to confirm it was a murder, and police have not identified any suspects so far.

“Without investigation, police tried to turn it into a suicide case, and till date the investigation is being done on the basis of the first post-mortem, even though the court had directed police not to do so,” said Aniruddha Mitra, the family’s lawyer.

“Even the institute tried to cover up the matter. There was no CCTV camera in the corridor. The boy had mailed about ragging, he was being abused and disturbed, yet no one took action. This shows the authorities not only stayed silent but helped the accused. It also impacted the investigation,” he said.