NILD, Baranagar Student found dead in hostel, protest erupts

Hailing from Gaya in Bihar, Priyaranjan Singh, 21, was found by his batchmates to be hanging from the ceiling. According to one of the students, the second-year student had just attempted to take his life and was still alive when they discovered him. Having brought him down, the students asked the authorities to arrange an ambulance.

After receiving no medical help at the institute, the students rushed Priyaranjan to Sagar Dutta Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

On Tuesday morning, protests broke out outside the campus of the central institute, where students are trained to become physiotherapists, orthotists and prosthetists and orthopaedically challenged patients are given basic care.

Protesting students locked the main gate of the institute, leaving staff and patients waiting outside. Some of them were seen treating patients outside the institute gate.

Police were deployed on the campus to avoid any untoward situation. A police official said that a complaint was lodged by the institute, and circumstances that led to the student’s death are being looked into.

Nilkantha Bhattacharya, a student, said, “There are no emergency medical facilities at the institute. This is the reason why we lost a fellow student yesterday. The authorities took no initiative to attend to or arrange an ambulance for him. We had to make arrangements to take him to hospital. If help had come on time, he could have been saved.”

Another student said, “We have repeatedly asked the authorities to improve the facilities but nothing has been done yet. Steps must be taken now to prevent an incident like this in future.”

Saptarshi Singha, one of the agitators, said that the students had to take him to a hospital on a motorcycle as the institute authorities failed to take timely action.

An NILD spokesperson, however, said that measures were taken by the institute to take Priyaranjan to a hospital in a vehicle. “Priyaranjan had in the past complained of ragging against a senior and requisite action was taken against the accused. Ours is a rehab centre. We don’t have critical care facilities. Priyaranjan was found unconscious in his room. On finding out, we had also immediately made arrangements to take him to Sagar Dutta Medical College… We are trying to reason with the students,” he said.

—With PTI inputs