The Randox Multistat test for narcotics conducted on 21-year-old BITS Pilani Goa student Kushagra Jain, who was found dead in his hostel room on August 17, has returned negative. However, the screening showed the presence of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE), a prescribed medication, raising fresh questions about the circumstances of his death.
“All the drug tests have come negative except for one medication that he is supposed to have taken an overdose of. We will have to wait for his pathological reports from FSDL Verna before being able to deduce the cause of death,” confirmed Anand Shirodkar, Police Inspector of Verna Police Station.
The negative result has not eased the concerns of parents. “The report is not a reason to be happy because death is difficult to come to terms with for anyone. Just because his report for drugs is negative, it does not mean the college authorities should relax. I am still worried because my child lives there and four deaths in nine months are upsetting,” said the parent of a student, who wished to remain anonymous.
Kushagra Jain, a native of Lucknow, was last active on WhatsApp at 2.12 pm on the day of his death, police said. Earlier, suicide had been ruled out, leading to speculation about possible narcotics use. Investigators had recovered energy drinks from his room, while friends confirmed he had played table tennis with them earlier in the day.
Former forensic head of Goa Medical College, Dr Silvano Sapeco, explained why the ACE finding warrants scrutiny. “It is difficult to deduce that the boy died by suicide with an overdose of the prescribed drug because it is not a prescription drug that can be over consumed for self-harm. It is a drug that is usually prescribed to people suffering from diabetes or high blood pressure and probably after not feeling well, after taking the first or second tablet, he decided to pop in another,” explained Dr. Sapeco.
“It is not surprising for a twenty-year-old to suffer from diabetes, if it runs in the family, or even high blood pressure. Had the boy informed someone of his unease and visited the hospital instead of taking the medication, the end would not have been fatal,” Dr Sapeco reasoned.
According to Science Digest, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme plays a critical role in the renin–angiotensin system, converting angiotensin I into angiotensin II, which narrows blood vessels and increases blood pressure.
The incident has intensified scrutiny of the institute, already reeling under the shock of three previous student deaths — in December 2024, March 2025, and May 2025. Two of those were classified as suicides.
In the wake of the latest tragedy, the BITS Pilani Goa management has set up a Special Review Committee to assess campus systems. “We are all aware of the unfortunate incidents that took place on our campus over the past few months. These events have left the campus community, parents, students, media and the larger Goa community in shock and disbelief,” read a communication sent to parents and students.
“The committee includes esteemed external members, colleagues from sister campuses and internal members. We expect a fresh perspective from the committee,” the communication stated, while naming eight members.
Prof Sandip S Deshmukh, Dean of Student Welfare at the Hyderabad campus, has been named convenor, while Dr Saumithra Pathare, Director of the Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy, has been appointed advisor.
But parents remain skeptical. “With a record number of back-to-back deaths it is evident that the campus is a cesspool of unnatural deaths. With such exorbitant fees being charged, the management to whom we entrust our child preferred to turn a blind eye from the very first case reported this year,” said one parent.
“The so-called committee formed shows lack of commitment of the institute in not appointing an independent external counselor. Nor is there any student representative taken on board,” said another parent, unconvinced by the move, on condition of anonymity.
Since the student’s death on August 17, 2025, the physical presence of security outside the campus has increased, though not convincingly, parents and students said. Visitors entering the campus were stopped and asked for identification, and all bikes were allowed in without saddlebags being checked. Food delivery personnel were physically checked, but their food bags were not.
Some students have voiced suspicions about food delivery agents bringing drugs into the campus. The arrest of a delivery agent at Sancoale — the locality of the campus — with 226 grams of ganja on August 25, 2025 has reinforced those doubts.
“We know there are things that are being overlooked and so does the management. It is time they start looking at us students as their own and not as profit-making subjects,” said one student, who insisted the management should not be hurt by the truth.