AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
SANCOALE/MARGAO/MAPUSA: The Randox report of Rishi Nair, the fifth student at BITS Pilani, Sancoale to have died, indicates that the concen-tration of three narcotic substances found in his blood was far above the cut-off mark, making it possible that narcotics could have been one of the causes leading to his death.
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O Heraldo, in its edition dated Sep-tember 11, 2025 ‘BITS Pilani stu-dent’s autopsy reveals presence of nar-cotics’ had reported the presence of narcotics in Nair’s blood without being able to ascertain their concentration.
The Randox blood report of Ri-shi Nair, now accessed by O Heral do, shows that the concentration of AMPH (amphetamine) was 421.88 ng/ml when the cut-off (level that is not considered medically as life-threaten-ing) is 20 ng/ml. The concentration of MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphet-amine) was 110.19 ng/ml when the
cut-off is 40 ng/ml. The report further mentions that the
concentration of MAMP (methamphet-amine) was 28.27 ng/ml when the cut-off is 20 ng/ml and that the concentra-tion of ZOLP (zolpidem) found in his blood was 66.6 ng/ml when the cut-off is 10 ng/ml.
“The levels of the drugs found are high. It is a fatal dose and there is a possibility the person who consumed it could have died due to an overdose. If the concentration of a drug is a hun-dred times more, there definitely is a serious problem related to drugs.
The figure you are presenting clearly shows drugs played a big role in the death of this individual,” said a senior fo rensic doctor attached to the South Goa District Hospital. The level of concentration of narcotics in the blood sam ple has not come as a surprise to locals and some parents of students studying at the BITS Pilani campus in Sancoale. Many are now beginning to wonder why the Goa govern ment is trying to link the cause of the deaths to ‘study pres sure’ when the truth could be different. (O Heraldo dated January 21, 2025 – ‘Govt’s suicide claim hurts parents as FSL report awaited’) Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, in the Tenth Session of the Eighth Legislative Assembly in Unstarred LAQ No. 4A (Annexure–A), had attributed the reason to suicide to study pressure and that of Rishi Nair to “depression over the suicide committed by his girlfriend.” The reply drew sharp criticism from the parent of one of the victims, who claimed his son died on campus when there were no exams. “Exam pressure is an excuse being used to cover the truth,” said Vinod Kumar Jain, father of the fourth student to have died by suicide in August 2025. Soon after the death of Rishi Nair, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant appointed a District Level Monitoring Committee (DLMC) headed by South Goa Collector Egna Cleetus. Four months after the appointment of the committee, Vaishna vi Jitesh became the sixth student — the first female — to have died by suicide on February 1, 2026. Despite the Randox reports of the previous two cases being positive for the use of narcotic substances, the com mittee has been focusing on the institute’s adherence to the mental health guidelines set by the Supreme Court of India. The death of Rishi Nair was reported on September 5, 2025. He was the fifth death recorded on the campus in 10 months and the second within two months. On February 1, 2026, the death of 20-year-old Vaishnavi Jitesh was record ed as the sixth. “We never have answers to the question of why they did what they did,” said psychiatrist Dr Peter Castellino, who has been assisting BITS Pilani, Sancoale for around a year. “Deaths due to drugs are a perspective that needs to be researched. There is no proof that those deaths are directly linked to drugs. Proof is one thing and assumption is anoth er,” said Dr Castellino when his attention was drawn to the level of concentration of drugs found in the Randox report of Nair. “Drugs,” believes Dr Castellino, “is a problem across Goa and not just in colleges. There are multiple factors that cause suicide, and I am not saying drugs cannot be one of them,” affirmed Dr Castellino. “Statistically, over 13,000 deaths by suicide by students are reported every year in different colleges in India. The problem is serious, but there are ways forward. Many a time, governments react late. The government in Goa is waking up now, and I think the media is also creating a problem by portraying the deaths wrongly. I am not saying all the media,” said Dr Castellino. The helpline numbers for suicide prevention in Goa: COOJ Mental Health Foundation: 91 8322252525 or 91 9822562522 (weekdays 3 pm to 7 pm).
