Calcutta High Court Orders Exhumation, Fresh Autopsy of Deceased IIT-Kharagpur Student

New Delhi (India), April 26, 2023: The Calcutta High Court has ordered the exhumation and fresh autopsy of an IIT-Kharagpur student, Faizan Ahmed, who was found dead in his hostel room in October last year. The college authorities claimed it to be a suicide, while the family alleged foul play.

The court has stated that a second post-mortem is essential to uncover the truth. Justice Rajasekhar Mantha stated that “the body of the victim Faizan Ahmed is ordered to be exhumed” and a fresh post-mortem conducted.

The high court highlighted that the original post-mortem report failed to mention the two visible injury marks on the back of the victim’s head. The police had found a chemical called Emplura (sodium nitrate) from the scene of the crime, which is typically used to preserve meat. The presence of this chemical raises questions regarding the time of death and whether it may have been used to preserve the body after the victim’s death.

The court’s order should not be misconstrued as casting aspersions on the state police. The court expects that the exhumation and autopsy process will be completed within a month.

The high court had earlier reprimanded the IIT-Kharagpur director for not acting on a ragging complaint, which was followed by the student’s death. The court had questioned the director’s behavior, saying, “Is this how a director of a premier institute behaves?”