A final-year MBBS student of College of Medicine and JNM Hospital in Kalyani was found dead in a decomposed state inside his hostel room on Thursday afternoon.
Pulok Halder, 24, was a resident of Dhamua in Mograhat, South 24-Parganas district. He had reportedly remained isolated in his room for the past five days, with the door locked from the inside.
Classmates had initially thought that Pulok had been engrossed in his studies as the final examinations were scheduled to begin on March 5. However, on Thursday afternoon, some junior students alerted authorities after an obnoxious smell emanated from his locked room in a secluded corner of the ground floor.
Suspecting foul play, the medical college authorities contacted police. The police rushed to the hostel, broke open the door and found Pulok’s body lying on the bed in a decomposed state. The head of the deceased student was bleeding.
The body was sent for a postmortem to ascertain the cause of the death. The police registered a suo motu case of unnatural death and informed the student’s father, Dhananjay Halder, about the death. Till late evening, no family member had reached
the hospital.
The sleuths have not ruled out suicide as a possible cause, though no suicide note was recovered from the room.
Sources in the medical college said Pulok, described as a film buff and popular among classmates, had last taken food from the hostel canteen on February 20.
The students said he was studious and often isolated himself during examinations.
“We were all busy preparing for the final examination, so no one paid attention to others, assuming everyone was studying. But a call from some junior students of the hostel shocked me with the news of his death,” said a final-year student.
A senior doctor who examined the body said Pulok had most likely died at least 48 hours earlier.
The students questioned the absence of CCTV cameras inside the hostel. They alleged a lack of alertness on the part of the college authorities, claiming no initiative was taken despite the student remaining incommunicado for several days and not taking food for five days.
College principal Manidip Pal said: “It is too early to comment on the reason behind the death. The student was in a normal mood when I last spoke to him a few days ago. There was nothing unusual about him. Police have begun an investigation, and the parents of the student have been informed about his death.”