Balangir: Police on Thursday found the body of Sushanta Mishra, the Balangir district unit president of National Students' Union of India (NSUI), from his house in Biramunda on the outskirts of the town under mysterious circumstances.

The young student leader was found hanging at his ancestral house in Biramunda in Balangir Sadar police area. After getting information, the police rushed to the spot and brought the body down.

The police have also seized his two-wheeler parked outside the house and a bottle of liquor that was lying near the vehicle. Though the actual reason of his death is not yet known, the police believed it to be a case of suicide after preliminary investigation. The body has been sent to the district headquarters hospital in Balangir for autopsy.

Sushanta used to live with his parents in Balangir. However, he had come to his ancestral house in Biramunda, 5km from the town, on Wednesday evening. His neighbours sounded an alarm on Thursday morning after they saw through a window that the young boy was hanging from one of the rooms in the house. The villagers informed the matter to the police, who rushed to the spot .

Sushanta's family members and friends have, however, claimed it to be a case of murder. The finding of a liquor bottle from the incident spot and the fact that both legs of Sushanta was submerged into a big cooking vessel triggered suspicion of a foul play.

"Though it seems like a case of suicide from the circumstances, the possibility of foul play can't be ruled out. The post-mortem report is awaited which will help us probe the matter further," said a Balangir Sadar police official.