On Friday, August 11, the police arrested an ex-student of Jadavpur University, Sourabh Choudhary, in connection with the death of Swapnodeep Kundu, an 18-year-old first-year student at Jadavpur University who died after falling from the second floor of a hostel building. Kundu continuously said “I am not gay” before he fell to his death.
According to reports, Kundu repeatedly told his fellow students, “I am not gay,” before the deadly fall. The deceased’s naked body was found after his fall from the balcony.
The Kolkata Police detained a former student in connection with Kundu’s death on Friday. Sourabh Chowdhury, the accused, had already earned his MSc in Mathematics at Jadavpur University in 2022 but continued to reside in the campus hostel.
During interrogation, Sourabh Chowdhury admitted to being involved in the ragging event that resulted in the loss of life, according to a senior police official. Following his admission of guilt, police apprehended him.
Chowdhury will appear in court on Saturday to face accusations under Section 302/34 of the Indian Penal Code.
On Wednesday Swapnodeep Kundu, a Bachelor of Arts in Bengali student from Hanskhali in Nadia district, fell off the second floor of the hostel building at midnight. Swapnodeep was in room number 68 on the second floor of the A-2 block of Jadavpur University Main Hostel.
As students arrived at the scene after hearing a loud noise, they discovered Swapnodeep lying in a pool of blood. Swapnodeep was transferred to KPC Medical College for treatment, where he died on Thursday at 4:30 AM.
Ramprasad Kundu, the deceased’s father, filed a complaint saying that some of the hostel residents were responsible for his son’s murder.
“They brutally assaulted my son,” Ramprasad Kundu stated, “He was assassinated. He repeatedly informed us he wasn’t feeling well. I should have brought him home that day. He would still be alive if I had listened to him.”
The deceased’s father claimed that certain former students who had access to hostels were responsible for his son’s death. “My son’s death was caused by senior students at the hostel. They must be afraid that if he comes home, he will tell us everything that happened. There’s more to it,” Kundu remarked.
Meanwhile, the university has temporarily prohibited visitors and former students from entering hostels. They have temporarily moved all first-year male boarders from the main hostel to a new facility and launched a separate investigation into the matter. While West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee promised that the perpetrators would be arrested and that required support would be provided to the bereaved family, the ABVP and other students protested outside the campus on Friday.
Rajat Ray, Dean of Students at Jadavpur University, told a television news channel that a student had called him the night before the tragedy to inform him that certain students were forcing others to jump from the balcony of the hostel.
