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News18
2 days ago
- News18
IIT Kharagpur forms fact-finding panel after BTech student's death
Kolkata, Jul 21 (PTI) A senior IIT-Kharagpur official on Monday said a 10-member fact-finding team has been formed by the premier institute to explore the circumstances and factors which led to the death of fourth-year BTech student Ritam Mondal who was found hanging in his hostel room on July 18. Institute director Suman Chakraborty, who recently took charge, said the panel would explore academic, social and psychological factors and is expected to submit its recommendations soon. While police are conducting a probe on its part, the institute has constituted a 10-member fact-finding committee internally, Chakraborty told PTI. 'He is our own child. We are saddened by his death. IIT Kharagpur does not exert pressure on students in a way that they feel stressed. We need to find out why such an incident happened," he added. Chakraborty had met the father of the deceased and interacted with him for about an hour after the grief-stricken parent arrived at the campus on hearing the news of his son's death. Mondal, a 21-year-old mechanical engineering student, had returned to campus on July 15, a day after the convocation, following a two-month vacation. His roommate had not yet returned to the hostel. 'We have to think if there are social factors involved in such incidents," he said. 'If someone comes to the help of such pupils during moments of extreme mental stress, certainly such situations can be averted," he reasoned. The committee will come up with certain recommendations by this month, he added. Mondal was found hanging in his room at Rajendra Prasad (RP) Hall hostel on July 18, the fourth unnatural death case on the campus since January. 'There were no recorded indicators of mental health concerns in the records of the SARTH Counselling Centre. Additionally, the departmental faculty advisor reported no apparent academic or personal issues," the institute noted. On January 12, Shaon Malik, a third-year electrical engineering student, died by suicide. On April 20, Aniket Walker, a final-year Ocean Engineering student from Maharashtra, was found hanging in JC Bose Hall. On May 4, Mohammad Asif Qamar, a third-year BTech student from Bihar, was found dead in his room at Madan Mohan Malviya Hall. Apart from installing bar codes on the gates of every hostel room where the helpline number of counselling services can be scanned by a student in emotional stress at any hour, the institute recently launched a 'Campus Mothers' programme, where women faculty and staff members serve as emotional mentors for students. PTI SUS MNB view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 21:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
IIT Kharagpur student found dead in hostel room
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Kolkata: A fourth-year undergraduate student of the Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) was found dead in his hostel room on Friday morning. Ritam Mondal was a student of Mechanical Engineering. He was found dead in his hostel room this administration has initiated the process of filing an FIR and the necessary actions as per law. The police have initiated an investigation into the incident, and the Institute is extending full cooperation to facilitate the process, the institute has constituted a fact-finding committee to examine the incident and report at the earliest.'With deep sorrow, the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur regrets to inform of the untimely demise of Ritam Mondal, a fourth-year undergraduate student of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Mondal was found deceased in his room at Rajendra Prasad Hall of Residence on the morning of July 18, 2025,' IIT-KGP authorities said in a Institute's security response team acted swiftly and reached the hostel premises. The Institute's medical team, the Director, senior administrative officials, and local police authorities arrived. Immediate communication was also made with Mondal's family, the institute has been learned that Mondal had recently returned to campus after the long summer vacation and resumed his classes.'As per the records reviewed from the Institute's SARTH Counselling Centre, there were no prior indicators of mental health concerns. The faculty advisor from the department also mentioned that there were no apparent academic or non-academic issues that caught their attention,' the Institute was known for his academic diligence and gentle demeanor. The Institute expresses its heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family and friends and stands committed to supporting them during this difficult Director, while expressing extreme distress as a parent-like individual at this shocking incident, reiterated that the Institute is already in the process of developing a holistic intervention program combining cutting-edge technology, super-specialized expert support, and highly personalised interaction for the well-being of all students, with a mission of ensuring that such an incident never occurs again.'As part of its continued efforts to support student well-being, the Institute confirms the availability of dedicated mental health and counselling services around the clock. Furthermore, IIT Kharagpur is set to launch a new AI-driven mental wellness initiative, SETU, on July 25, 2025, to enhance proactive mental health support for students,' IIT-KGP said in a statement.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Bengali migrant workers join rally, recount tales of detention horror
Kolkata: Singur resident Jhantu Mondal (47), who was rounded up from near his work site in Odisha and confined to a small room for nearly a week on suspicion of being a Bangladeshi, on Wednesday walked along with chief minister Mamata Banerjee , who took to the street to protest against the illegal detention of Bengali-speaking migrant labourers across BJP-govt states. Mondal, who had over the past decade worked at several construction sites outside Bengal, such as Vanarasi and the Andamans, went to Jharsuguda in Odisha to work at a construction site of a commercial building. "Five of us stayed about 1 km from the site. In our free time, we would roam around. One evening, we were talking among ourselves, when some unknown people accosted us and called us Bangladeshis. As we protested, a scuffle broke out," Mondal recounted. Their ordeal did not end there. "The next morning, cops hauled us to the police station, where we were asked to show identity documents to prove we were not from Bangladesh. Though I showed them my Aadhaar card, they kept asking for papers to prove my parents were Indians. They confined us to a small room and gave us food twice a day. After almost a week in the detention camp, I returned home two days ago. I have decided never to go back there." Apart from Mondal, several migrant workers, who were illegally detained in other states, also joined the protest march from College Square to Dorina Crossing. Among them was Islam Sheikh (48), a resident of Bankura, who was detained by Odisha cops. "Upon my release from the detention camp, I returned home, swearing never to go back to that state to work. They singled out Bengali-speaking workers and tortured them on suspicion of being illegal immigrants. I was confined to a detention camp though my Aadhaar card mentioned I was from Bankura. Such atrocities must stop," Sheikh said. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Gulias Shah, a mason from Purulia, was among the workers detained and abused in Maharashtra. "Why are atrocities being meted out to poor workers like us? I had gone there for better pay. We from Bengal stayed together and spoke with each other in our mother tongue. Why did they (cops) take offence to it? They refused to accept our Indian identity, called us Bangladeshis and detained us," Shah said. Among the rally participants were migrant workers, who had "fled back home", after hearing horror stories about the torture being faced by hundreds of labourers. Samar Dutta, a resident of Belgachhia, said, "I went to Rajasthan last month in search of a job. But I came back about 10 days ago as my family was scared for me after getting news of the atrocities being meted out to Bengali-speaking workers outside the state. " Naresh Kumar Gupta from Maniktala, who worked in a hosiery factory, joined the rally with a big poster hung around his shoulder. "I sympathise with those who were detained wrongfully and abused. In Delhi, electricity was snapped in a slum where Bengali workers live, and they are afraid that their houses may be pulled down. I am here to protest against such atrocity," said Gupta.
The Wire
15-07-2025
- The Wire
'Beaten, IDs Taken, Humiliated': Inside the Brutal 'Push Backs' of Bengali Muslim Migrant Workers
Hariharpara/Kolkata (Bengal): Nazimuddin Mondal can barely stand now. He winces as he tries to sit up at his home in Hariharpara of Bengal's Murshidabad. His voice trembles slightly as he recounts his ordeal from early June. 'All I remember is that we were picked up by men from the Kanakia police station [in Mumbai] and then put on a flight to Agartala under tight security,' said Mondal. Thirty-four-year-old Mondal had been among the several from his village who had gone to Maharashtra to seek a livelihood. Mondal says he was picked up by law enforcement from Mumbai on June 10, but that he lost track of dates after that. 'It was a blur. I remember that couple from Bagda were on the same plane to Agartala in which I was and they were in tears,' he says. The Wire was later able to confirm their identities. Nazimuddin Mondal. Photo: Joydeep Sarkar. In Agartala, Mondal alleges that members of the Border Security Forces beat him and the others very badly. "I still haven't recovered. My body aches. I feel pain standing up. My waist and legs hurt. They strip-searched us and beat us up. And then, one night, the BSF dumped us in Bangladesh,' Mondal says. He says that he was a part of a group of four men who were taken to a marshy land on the India-Bangladesh border and abandoned there. The Wire was not able to get a comment from the BSF on its officers' alleged mistreatment of those held. The Border Guard Bangladesh (BDR) discovered them, Mondal says. "BDR officers shocked by our condition and the clarity with which we described our Indian homes," he says. The BDR contacted the Mekhliganj Police Station in the Cooch Behar district in Bengal. Police then brought Mondal and the others back to India. The news that four Indian men, including Mondal, were "returned" from Bangladesh made headlines across the country. Mondal says he had furnished his Aadhaar card, PAN card, and Voter ID card to police in Mumbai, who allegedly confiscated all the documents. He also says that Rs 7,000 of his hard-earned wages were allegedly taken by BSF personnel. With no documents to show and no money to fund a trip back to Maharashtra, Mondal has not worked since. Mondal is one among hundreds of Bengali-speaking workers, primarily from West Bengal, who are returning home broken – physically, financially, and psychologically – after being falsely branded 'Bangladeshi infiltrators' by police in Maharashtra. Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will lead a rally tomorrow (July 16) against the stated harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-ruled states, including Odisha, Delhi, Assam, Maharashtra and Jharkhand. A similar story Mehboob Sheikh, in his thirties, and from Bhagawangola which is close to Hariharpur, narrates a similar experience. Workers and the Trinamool Congress's leaders allege that approximately 140 migrant workers from various Bengal districts were falsely labeled "Bangladeshis" and picked up from parts of Mumbai on June 9 and 10. 'We used to live in Number 15. One day, the police picked us up. We showed our IDs. They said they were fake and that we were Bangladeshis," Sheikh says. Several workers referred to the area in Mumbai's Mira Road where migrants live as "Number 15". The area falls under the Kanakia Police Station. The Wire was unable to reach the senior police inspector and station house officer of the police station for their comments. Sheikh describes being taken to a BSF camp and then being interrogated for four days in Pune. He, too, alleges that BSF personnel took everyone's wallets, phones, Aadhaar and voter cards, cash, and even jewellery. 'They made us take off our belts. Our pants fell, and they laughed. We were humiliated. They took everything – money, phones, documents,' says Sheikh. He adds that women were similarly treated but did not give details of their mistreatment. 'We were flown to Bagdogra, herded into large vans covered with nets, and taken to another BSF camp. There, we were tortured again. We were served food and told, 'Eat this, it's your last Indian meal.' At night, they drove us to a jungle-like area and said, 'If you come this way again, we'll shoot. Go back to your country,' Sheikh says. The area where Sheikh describes he was taken does not have a visible fenced border. Workers describe it as a marshy wetland. It is considered no-man's land. After walking through forests and marshes, for roughly a week, Sheikh says that he and others in the group managed to crawl under a barbed-wire fence to re-enter India. Locals helped them reach the Raiganj police station, he says. Police there verified their identities, and they made their way back home. Sheikh still gets nightmares. 'We feel like we escaped death, but now we have nothing left,' he says. A pattern of abuse Since early June, a disturbing pattern of human rights abuses has emerged in the testimonies of Bengali-speaking migrant workers, especially from the minority community. Numerous people who have returned to Bengal describe having been arbitrarily arrested in Maharashtra, despite possessing valid Indian identification like Aadhaar and Voter IDs. Authorities all allegedly dismissed these documents as 'fake,' branding the workers as Bangladeshis. Shamim Khan. Photo: Joydeep Sarkar. Shamim Khan was also picked up from Mira Road in Mumbai on June 10. Speaking from his house in Hariharpara, Khan says, 'We were all arrested, flown to Bagdogra, and robbed of our money. I had Rs 20,300 – my whole savings. The BSF took it.' Nearly all detained and 'pushed' migrant workers that The Wire spoke to reported the forceful confiscation of their cash, phones, and all identification. The Wire reached them through their neighbours phones as most had no means to purchase new devices. Detainees reported facing torture at various BSF camps, including severe beatings, strip searches, and psychological torment. Khan says, 'We were beaten brutally. The BSF handed us Bangladeshi Tk 500 notes and took photos of us holding them. We kept insisting we were Indian Bengalis, but they just beat us more after hearing us speak Bengali.' Trinamool Congress MP Samirul Islam, who heads the West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board, has been trying to set up a network among workers to help them. 'This is the first time I've seen something like this. To brand Indian citizens as foreigners and dump them in a foreign country shows a violent mindset. The situation is horrifying,' Islam says. Islam says that he had also been contacted by several families of labourers in Rajasthan, originally belonging to the Itahar village of North Dinajpur district, who are now reported to be missing. At a gathering at Tartipur village, in Hariharpara block, fear is palpable. Almost every household here relies on migrant labour, yet when the conversation turns to Mumbai, voices drop to hushed tones. Many who previously worked in the city now have no plans to return. 'I was spared because I was away that day [Jule 10]. But now, if you speak Bengali, wear a lungi, or cook fish and meat, you're harassed. It wasn't like this before. Now, speaking Bengali makes you look like a criminal. Our contractor even told us over the phone: 'Speaking Bengali is dangerous. Learn Hindi, stop wearing lungis.' But how can I change my mother tongue?' asks 41-year0old Anwar Ali, who has returned to his village fearing harassment. Ali is a distant relative of Nijamuddin Mondal's. What unfolded in Maharashtra is not an isolated case. In Odisha, Bengali migrant labourers have been beaten and branded "illegal Bangladeshi immigrants". Street vendors in several towns report being robbed and harassed. A few months ago, Safiqul Islam, a painter from Kaliganj in Bengal's Nadia district, was detained at the Jaipur railway station in Rajasthan for failing to produce his voter ID card. His family alleges that he remains in a detention facility to this day. No clear count Fajer and Taslima Mondal, a couple from Bagda in North 24 Parganas who were working in Mira Road in Mumbai, were detained on June 10 under suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals. This is the couple that Mondal spoke of at the beginning of the piece. Before Fajer and Taslima's phones were seized, they managed to alert relatives back home. Their family contacted the authorities in a panic. It is believed that this couple too was forcibly pushed across the Raiganj border into Bangladesh. After extensive coordination between Indian police and a BSF-BGB flag meeting, they were finally traced to a village called Bhatuli in Bangladesh and brought back on June 16. Fajer and Taslima Mondal, the couple from Bagda. Photo: By arrangement. 'Why are Bengali speakers labelled as Bangladeshis? Why are we beaten for speaking our language or wearing lungis, or for the smell of fish curry?' asks another Hariharpara resident Sirajul Islam. But many others haven't been so fortunate. According to Asif Farooq of the Migrant Workers' Unity Forum, there is no clear count of how many workers are still missing. Several names appear in official records, yet calls to their phones go unanswered. Silence is all that remains. 'Initially, only four cases of abuse were reported in the media. But now, the stories from returnees suggest the number is in the hundreds. None of their phones are working,' says Asif Farooq of the Migrant Workers' Unity Forum who has filed an RTI on the scope of deportations. Meanwhile, another family of three – Danish Sheikh (27), Sonali Bibi (25), and their son Sabir (5) from Dhitora village in Birbhum – has been missing from New Delhi since June 26. Sheikh and Bibi's phones are switched off. According to workers who lived near them, the family was pushed back across the border on the claim that they are Bangladeshi. Murarai village panchayat head Nitu Rabidas told The Wire, "We know them. Their family was born and raised here. We have sent all the documents and proof to the Delhi Police, but have received no response."
Hindustan Times
09-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
City court rejects RG Kar victim's parents plea for visiting crime scene
Kolkata, A city court on Wednesday rejected a petition by the parents of the R G Kar Hospital rape-murder victim to allow their lawyer to visit the scene of crime. City court rejects RG Kar victim's parents plea for visiting crime scene The court noted that counsel representing the CBI did not raise any objection against the petition. Stating that the court has full sympathy with the complainant for the loss of their daughter, where an accused has already been convicted, the judge said, "This court has no authority to pass an order emotionally without following the procedure of law." Sealdah Court additional chief judicial magistrate Arijit Mondal observed that there is no provision in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita which empowers the court to allow the petition. The judge said that as such, it would be a clear violation of the procedure established by law. The counsel representing the victim's parents had stated before the court that it is required for them to visit the place of occurrence of crime, except the seminar room of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, on the ground of proper appreciation of the place of crime for analysíng the same, so that they may get complete justice. The body of the on-duty post graduate trainee doctor was found in the seminar room of the hospital on August 9, 2024. The counsel representing the West Bengal government had stated that they are condemning the gruesome incident but there is no provision of law to justify the reason for filing such a petition, where the de facto complainant has already knocked the doors of the Calcutta High Court for reinvestigation of the same, a matter which remains pending. The counsel for the parents stated that in the interest of justice the petition may be allowed as there is no law which debars the court to deal with such matters. It was also stated that counsel for the parents would like to consult with independent forensic experts for the purpose of analysing their findings. Following a CBI charge sheet into the investigation of the rape and murder, a sessions court in Sealdah convicted former civic volunteer of Kolkata Police, Sanjay Roy for the crime and sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment for the rest of his natural life. The ACJM said on Wednesday that the CBI has already been able to prove the allegation against the convict beyond reasonable doubt and that an investigation is currently on to prove the allegation of a larger conspiracy and tampering of evidence by the remaining two accused, Sandip Ghosh and Abhijit Mondal. While Ghosh is the former principal of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, Mondal was the then officer-in-charge of the local Tala police station which initially investigated the crime. Ghosh remains in jail at present in connection with a case of corruption at the hospital despite having received bail on the evidence tampering case along with Mondal. The court said that the place of occurrence, in case of any alleged crime, is subject matter of utmost secrecy and it is protected for the purpose of investigation, where no party other than the investigating agency is allowed to enter so that each and every aspect or object or part of the place of crime is secured for collection of evidence and to produce the same before the court for securing justice. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
