IIT Kharagpur Student Faizan Ahmed’s Body Exhumed for Second Autopsy
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur student Faizan Ahmed's body was exhumed after seven months since its burial in a cemetery in Dibrugarh city, Assam. The exhumation was carried out by a team from the West Bengal police with the consent of Faizan's family, following an order from the Calcutta High Court for a second post-mortem. The court made this decision after identifying several flaws in the initial autopsy conducted by a court-appointed expert.
Faizan Ahmed, a 23-year-old third-year mechanical engineering student, was discovered dead in his hostel room on October 14, 2022. While the college authorities claimed it was a suicide, his family alleged that he was murdered. Furthermore, Faizan's family accused the authorities at IIT Kharagpur of ignoring his complaints about excessive ragging in the hostel. The recent hearing at the Calcutta High Court emphasized the need for coordination between the investigation officer and the Assam police to ensure the proper exhumation and transportation of the remains to Kolkata for a fresh autopsy. The court considered the second post-mortem crucial in uncovering the truth.
Officials in Dibrugarh confirmed that the body would be transported to Kolkata on Wednesday. Justice Rajasekhar Mantha stated, according to an NDTV report, "The body of the victim has been buried as per Muslim rites in Assam. The body of the victim Faizan Ahmed is ordered to be exhumed." The exhumation took place at the Amolapatty burial ground in Dibrugarh and was supervised by a four-member team from the Bengal police, forensic experts from the Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh, and the Directorate of Forensic Science in Guwahati. Local police provided security during the process, and Faizan's family members were also present. The remains were carefully placed in a coffin and transported to the mortuary of AMCH. Subsequently, the West Bengal police team will fly to Kolkata with the coffin for the second post-mortem, as ordered by the Calcutta High Court, which will take place at the Medical College and Hospital.
During the exhumation, Faizan's mother, Rehana, expressed her hope that the second autopsy report would provide the family with "peace" and "justice." She mentioned to The Indian Express, "There has been no peace since he died; I have not slept in all these months... No mother hopes for a day like this, but this is something we have to do for justice for him... Hopefully, we will know the truth, and this is one step towards that." Reports indicate that a few officials from IIT Kharagpur, including registrar Tamal Nath, were present during the exhumation process.
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