The Randox tests on sam ples from 20-year-old Rishi Nair — the fifth student to die on the BITS Pilani Goa campus in under a year — have come back positive for narcotics, adding a new dimension to the ongo ing investigation into deaths on the campus. “The Randox test re port has come positive for narcotics and since then, a team from the Verna police station has been camping at the campus. We are record ing statements of his colleagues and check ing the CCTV footage,” confirmed Tikam Singh Verma, SP, South Goa.
The Randox machine report indicates that Ecstasy, Am phetamines and MDMA were found in the intestinal sample sent for testing, while the blood sample showed the pres ence of sedatives. “According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was choking. The Randox test has proved the consumption of drugs and that does not certify his cause due to drugs,” ex plained Verma. “Drugs stay in the body for even a month, so it is too early to presume anything though we are checking every angle. The victim could have consumed the drugs much before. Earlier, I had stated that narcotics were ruled out in the four previous cases as the Randox tests were negative,” af firmed Verma. A source said the student may have vomited in his sleep and choked on the vomit. “The presence of the narcotics found in the stomach,” claimed a renowned forensic doctor on condition of anonymity, “can help deduce that the indi vidual had consumed the substance within six hours prior to death.” “With the confirmation of narcotics in the test, the cause of death could be accidental or homicidal. It will be up to the police to investigate and find out whether the deceased was given the drugs unknowingly or he took it himself,” ob served a retired police officer on condition of anonymity.
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The junior staff manning the Verna Police Station, in the absence of Police Inspector Anand Shirodkar, were visibly upset. “Boss (Anand Shirodkar) has been at BITS since morning. The sad thing is that people will now be pointing fingers at us when we have nothing to do with the devel opments,” stated an Assistant Sub-Inspector handling vis itors.
“The committee will definitely have to ascertain that the college is following the procedures stipulated by the Su preme Court. As said previously, our role is not to investi gate the death. The police have to do that but we must start working on how the college gets to work to see that such incidents do not occur again,” stated Egna Cletus, Chairper son of the committee formed by the Chief Minister. “By afternoon, the campus became aware of the news.
I knew drugs are being consumed in the premises. I did not expect matters to be so bad though and everyone knows that drugs are done in the campus. The fright is getting worse. The college authorities should stop pretending they know nothing,” said a student in a state of disbelief.
