Slow trials, shattered dreams: 3 years on, JU ragging victim’s father seeks audience with CM for ‘closure’

For the family, which lives in Nadia district, life has changed fundamentally after the tragedy on August 9, 2023. While their younger son recently cleared his Class 12 Higher Secondary examinations in the First Division, the trauma of losing their elder son has forced the family to rethink his future.

“Nothing is the same anymore. My wife suffers from anxiety and depression and is on regular medication for multiple health issues. If he was alive, I would have sent my younger son to pursue something even bigger, but that episode taught us that people from villages shouldn’t dream of big universities and colleges,” he told The Indian Express.

Almost every month, the routine remains the same for him. On days of hearing, he wakes up at 5 am and leaves his home by 7:30 am to reach the court in Kolkata by 10 am. However, progress has been slow and painful, he feels. He said that hearings are frequently delayed because defence lawyers do not appear.

“All the 12 accused are in jail custody, but the way the trial is being dragged on, I’m really disheartened,” he said.

Observing recent state interventions in high-profile cases, the family now hopes that direct administrative oversight could help expedite the legal process.

“I heard that the chief minister holds Janta Darbar. People from Kamduni met him, and probes in major cases were expedited or reopened,” the man said, adding, “Since we don’t have any political backing, no one talks about us anymore… But we also lost our son through no fault of his.”

He also said that he has written two letters to the government over the past three months. In the first letter, sent in May, he requested the state not to replace the special public prosecutor handling the case. In the second letter, sent this month, he sought an appointment with the Chief Minister.

“We didn’t want our current Special PP, Bivas Chatterjee, to be replaced. We were apprehensive after the regime change, but we are relieved that he continues to be the PP. I also wrote to the Chief Minister on August 6 seeking an appointment. This is not just about my son. I want to bring it to the government’s attention that ragging at JU has been a systemic issue, where former students continued to stay on in the hostels,” he said.

“At least 35 people were directly or indirectly involved in ragging my son. The university’s internal committee conducted a separate probe, but we were never informed about what punishment they faced, and many of them are now back on campus. I still have a lot of unanswered questions surrounding my son’s death. I hope to meet the Chief Minister and get closure. Appropriate punishment for those responsible will finally allow us to sleep at night after three years,” he said.

Referring to the RG Kar doctor’s rape and murder in 2024, he said, “Two major incidents took place in Kolkata on August 9 but different years. I have my deepest sympathies with the RG Kar victim’s family and hope they get justice. But along with that, I also want the government to look at us, who are similar victims of a flawed system.”

Desperate for closure, he is now planning to meet CM Adhikari and seek direct intervention, hoping to present his plea at the Janta Darbar.

“I have lost everything; my world is shattered. But with administrative shifts, I have high hopes… I hope people haven’t forgotten about my son. I am left all alone fighting this battle. My son was a science student whose love for Bengali literature brought him to Jadavpur. But then it all ended. I am still paying the price for his dreams,” he said.

On the night of August 9, 2023, the boy had fallen from the second-floor balcony of a Jadavpur University hostel building. Police investigations revealed that in the hours preceding his death, the teenager was disrobed, bullied, and abused with homosexual slurs.

According to the police investigation, the 17-year-old was summoned from his room by seniors and forced to walk down the corridor. In a desperate attempt to escape the persistent harassment, he ran between rooms trying to lock himself in, but was continuously chased by seniors until approximately 11 pm. Around 11.45 pm, he fell from the balcony.

Following the investigation, Kolkata Police arrested 12 individuals, six university students and six alumni illegally occupying hostel quarters. They were charged under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 305 of the IPC (abetment of suicide of a minor).