Bihar police have ordered a high-level probe into an incident in which two Chankaya National Law University (CNLU) students “drowned” last month. Their bodies have still not been found.
Abhishek Raj (25) and Sriyan Paras (26), both third year students of the institute, reportedly drowned into a swollen Gandak river near Konhara Ghat under Hajipur town police, around 25 km north of Patna, on August 24.
Director-general of police (DGP) P.K. Thakur said on Sunday: “Based on the complaints lodged by family members of the victims, we have ordered a high-level probe into the case.”
Thakur also said Hajipur police would continue to carry out the probe as they have been handling the investigations so far.
Sources said the state DGP ordered the probe as bodies of the two boys are yet to be recovered and the family members suspect foul play.
CNLU sources said the DGP ordered a high-level probe after Abhishek’s father Surendra Kumar Prasad, who is a doctor at Ara, met chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi recently and demanded a detailed investigation. The victim’s father was, reportedly, unhappy with the way the probe was being conducted. He complained that the ongoing probe was weak and even suspected foul play in the case.
Two other students who had accompanied the boys returned to the university and said their classmates had drowned.
Sources said two beer bottles, two slippers and a bike were recovered from the spot. Based on circumstantial evidence, Prasad lodged an FIR with Jakaknpur police station. The case later transferred to the Hajipur police station. The two boys had left the hostel between 8 and 9 pm on August 23 without informing the warden or their parents.
University registrar S.P. Singh said: “I was informed about the incident on Monday morning (August 25).”
Alarmed by the mysterious death of two of its students, the law university has taken steps to strengthen security measures and efforts to discipline its students.
The CNLU administration has decided to make it mandatory for the boarders to return to the campus by 10pm. If any student wishes to stay out of the campus beyond 10pm, he or she would now have to inform the warden, specifying the reason why he or she is having to stay away beyond the stipulated time and also inform his or her parents.
Singh said: “If a student does not return to the hostel by 10pm, the warden would inform the parents of the student.” Moreover, after the incident, the university administration has been taking a headcount at hostels at night.
A fourth-year CNLU student said on condition of anonymity: “Incidents like this bring disrepute to the institute and the institute administration should deal strictly to tackle such activities.”
In recent days, involvement of young ones in criminal activities has come as a matter of concern for authorities across the state.
