Bhubaneswar, July 19: The death of a student of a private plus II science college at Madanpur has led the family of the student to allege foul play.

The college authorities, however, said 16-year-old Ipsit Nayak had drowned while taking a bath in a stone quarry pit filled with rainwater near the college yesterday afternoon. The incident has sparked tension on the college campus that is within Jatni police limits on the outskirts of the city.

Ipsit, a resident of Balangir town, had taken admission in the college eight days ago and was staying in the hostel. The college authorities said he had gone to play on a field outside the campus and was taking a bath in a stone pit when he drowned. But Ipsit’s family members, who said they had spotted injury marks on his body, alleged foul play.

After his body was spotted in the illegal stone quarry pit, which was filled with rainwater and spread across around 2 acres, this morning, his family members and classmates alleged the involvement of other students in his death. As the students launched an agitation, the college authorities closed down the institute indefinitely.

Ipsit’s father Rajendra Nayak, who is an assistant engineer with the irrigation department in Berhampur, said the college authorities had told him last night that his son was missing.

“They tried to hide from me that my son had drowned. My relative went to the college at night and he told me that my son had drowned in a stone quarry pit,” said the father. He said that when the relative wanted to go to the pit and search for the body, the college authorities did not co-operate with him.

Sources said that after the college authorities came to know that Ipsit had drowned in the pit on Wednesday evening, they informed the Jatni fire brigade officials, who searched for the body, but could not find it.

Ipsit’s father alleged that some students had killed his son. He also alleged that the college authorities knew about the matter, but hid the facts from him. This afternoon, he lodged a complaint with Jatni police.

Bhabani Shankar Rath, the director of the college, said that when they came to know that Ipsit had drowned, they had informed the fire brigade. Later, when the body was not found, they lodged a missing report with police officials at Janla police outpost. “This morning, the body was found. It was handed over to the family after post-mortem. Police are inquiring into the case,” said Rath.

The Jatni police said the preliminary investigation revealed it was the case of drowning and they had registered a case of unnatural death. “The inquiry is on and we are waiting for the post-mortem report,” said inspector in charge of Jatni police station K.K. Panigrahi.