Team Herald
MARGAO/ VASCO: A day after a second-year student’s suicide at the BITS Pilani Goa campus – the third such incident in five months – sent shock-waves all around, his aggrieved and enraged family members on Friday pointed at several missing communication links that they claim have raised the suspicion of foul play.
Standing outside the campus walls, the kin of deceased student Krishna Kasera told the media that they were informed about the death on Thursday evening, while it is clear from police records that the suicide was reported to the cops around 10.30 am. Around 12 family members including Krishna’s mother, father, sister, uncle and aunt have flown
down to Goa.
According to Verna police sources, Krishna, a student of instrumentation, had locked his hostel room from inside. He was due to take his exams, but did not answer them. At 10.24 am on Thursday, the cops received a call from the BITS authorities about the suicide after a master key was used to open Krishna’s room and he was found hanging.
Mormugao DySP Gurudas Kadam said that PI Anand Shirodkar from Verna Police Station has taken up the investigation and recorded the statements of six students and others. While no suicide note was found, they have ruled out foul play, he added. A case of unnatural death under Section 194 BNSS has
been registered.
The family of Krishna, however, pointed to the three suicides over the past five months as a sign of a deeper problem on
the campus.
They claimed that when Krishna’s phone went unattended for hours, they called the BITS management, but were informed about his death only on Thursday evening.
The family members are learnt to have held a meeting with the institute’s management on Friday, where they raised questions about the unavailability of CCTV cameras in the hostel corridor.
EXCERPTS FROM BITS GOA
STATEMENT ON FRIDAY
BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus is deeply shaken at the tragic loss of Krishna Kasera… This heartbreaking loss has left all of us shattered and in deep sorrow… The campus authorities are in close coordination with the police, who have taken charge of the situation. We are fully cooperating with them to ensure all necessary steps are being taken appropriately. BITS Pilani is conducting an internal inquiry in this matter.” (see page 3 for full statement)