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New arrests and in-depth probe in JU freshman’s death

Kolkata Police arrested two more Jadavpur University students on Sunday in connection with the mysterious death of fresher Swapnadip Kundu…

New arrests and in-depth probe in JU freshman’s death

Representational image [file photo]

Kolkata Police arrested two more Jadavpur University students on Sunday in connection with the mysterious death of fresher Swapnadip Kundu on 10 August. The two arrested individuals have been identified as Deepsekhar Dutta (19) and Manotosh Ghosh (20).

While Deepsekhar is a second-year student of economics, Manotosh is a secondyear student of international relations. Police said that they initially interrogated the two and found inconsistencies in their statements. As a result, there was an urgent need to take them into custody for further questioning, according to a city police official.

This marks the second and third arrest in this case. Earlier, the police had arrested Sourav Chowdhury, a former M.Sc. student of mathematics from the same university who is believed to be the mastermind behind a ragging gang within the university campus. Saurav was accused of handling accommodation arrangements at the student hostel.

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Police today discovered a mysterious letter with a signature and diary from the University hostel. The letter was wriiten addressed to Dean of Students of JU regarding ragging matter. Police however is varifying whether the signature was of the deceased student. Questions arose about the university authorities’ monitoring, considering a former student’s involvement in hostel-related administrative operations.

He was remanded to police custody until 22 August on Saturday. Swapnadip Kundu’s body was found in front of the balcony of the student hostel on 10 August morning, with investigations pointing towards a ragging angle in the tragedy. Police also discovered that the victim’s reserved behaviour towards female students led the offenders to label him as “gay.”

The night before his death, he called his parents in Nadia and informed them about the ragging he was facing. Advisor of the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR), Ananya Chakraborti, visited Swapnadip’s residence in Nadia and demanded that the trial for the case be conducted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. After leaving, she spoke to the media, mentioning Swapnadip’s age and stating that the incident falls under the POCSO Act.

She said: “Swapnadip was not 18 years old; he was 17 years, 9 months, and 9 days old at the time of his death. Therefore, the trial should fall under the POCSO Act for this incident.” Kolkata’s Police Commissioner, Vineet Goyal, said on Sunday that the mystery surrounding Swapnadeep Kundu’s death will be resolved soon.

He emphasized the significance of the incident and mentioned that police are conducting a thorough investigation. Speaking to reporters on Red Road, Vineet Goyal said, “In connection with the Jadavpur incident, two individuals were arrested on Sunday. One more person had been arrested earlier. A high-level investigation is ongoing, with an additional Deputy Commissioner of Police overseeing the investigation process at every step.” He further added: “A post-mortem of the deceased student has already been conducted, and videography has been completed.

We hope to conclude the investigation swiftly,” he said. The father of Manatosh, Satinath Ghosh, meanwhile, said some passed-out students may have framed there son Manatosh on fake and false charges, since Manatosh by nature is vocal against any kind of wrong doing ..

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