Arvind Choubey, director of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Durgapur has resigned over the unnatural death of an engineering student inside the campus after a massive student unrest and agitation over the issue.
Arpan Ghosh (20), a brilliant student of second year BTech mechanical engineering and a resident of Bandel in Hooghly was found hanging inside the hostel in the NIT campus in Gandhi More of Durgapur on Sunday.
Students of NIT Durgapur had been demanding resignation of director Arvind Choubey after the death of a mechanical engineering student due to unavailability of facilities at the college’s medical unit.
Body of Arpan Ghosh was discovered hanging in his hostel room by his fellow students in the afternoon. According to unconfirmed reports, he was found alive after his friends rescued him and promptly took him to the college’s medical unit.
“Arpan had forgotten to bring his identity card for the exam and was denied entry. Despite repeated appeals to the college authorities, the issue remained unresolved. Subsequently, Arpan returned to his hostel room and shut the door. Later in the afternoon, he was discovered hanging. Arpan was still alive after being rescued, but there was no ambulance or provision of oxygen at our medical unit. In fact, we were asked to bring our friend’s identity card for requiring medical attention. Unfortunately, he succumbed due to the unavailability of an ambulance and oxygen cylinder. We had two ambulances before but the director brought it down to one. He has curtailed all forms of treatment at the unit. There was no doctor or qualified nurse, even at the medical unit of our college,” a student alleged.
Speaking to the media afterwards, Choubey assured that the police would investigate the tragic death.
“Arpan was my friend and batch mate. He had two backlogs, which had to be cleared in a single day. It is due to this immense academic pressure that he attempted suicide,” said another student of the mechanical engineering department.
Arvind Choubey claimed to the media today that he has been forced to resign by the students after continuous agitation and has been mailed to the Union HRD ministry.
“I have tried to work very hard to bring up the ranking of National Institute of Technology Durgapur and have taken some measures in that direction. The death of the student is very sad and he has committed suicide. I am waiting for further directions from the HRD ministry,” he added.
Earlier, in 2015, another student, Prosenjit Sarkar had died due to medical negligence at the medical unit of NIT, Durgapur, whereby the then director T Kumar had resigned.