The brother of IIT Kharagpur student Aniket Walkar, who was found dead on the campus in April, went to the town on Thursday to ask police about the progress of their investigation into his brother’s death.

Sudeep Walkar’s stinging letter to the IIT had earlier led to the institute forming a committee to probe the spate of student deaths on the campus.

Sudeep alleged on Thursday that the investigation officer in the case was not giving any updates on the probe, prompting him to go to Kharagpur.

“We want to know what triggered my brother’s death. It has been nearly two months since he was found dead. We wrote to the police to start a probe into his death in late April. The IIT Kharagpur authorities filed an FIR with Kharagpur Town police station in early May. But whenever I have asked the investigation officer about the progress of the probe, he has mostly avoided my calls. Sometimes, he sent a text message saying ‘investigation under progress’,” Sudeep told Metro.

“I came to Kharagpur for an update. I hope he will meet me and share the details I am looking for.”

Sudeep, an IIT Guwahati graduate, came to Kharagpur from Maharashtra.

At 8pm, he was still waiting for the officer at the police station.

Calls and text messages to Dhritiman Sarkar, the superintendent of police, went unanswered.

Aniket, from Maharashtra’s Gondia district, was studying ocean engineering and naval architecture. He was found hanging in his room at the JC Bose Hall of Residence
on April 20.

In his letter to Kharagpur Town police station on April 27, Sudeep wrote: “Aniket was brilliant in academics and a top performer. Yet he died under mysterious circumstances. Please carry out a fair probe to find out the reasons, cause and circumstances under which our bright child died.”

“Kindly register an FIR based on the complaint letter on urgent basis.”

Aniket’s was the third death at the IIT in 10 months, renewing concerns about the safety of students on the campus and the institute’s apparent lack of concern.

In early May, another BTech student, Md Asif Quamar, hanged himself during a video call with a friend.

On May 9, IIT Kharagpur lodged FIRs in connection with the deaths of two students — Shaon Malik and Aniket — after a prod from the Supreme Court.

“I expected the police to seriously pursue the probe after the IIT authorities lodged an FIR following a push from the Supreme Court. But I was pained to see no progress was made,” said Sudeep.

Sudeep went to IIT Kharagpur on Wednesday to collect a copy of the post-mortem report. The report said Aniket died by suicide.

“If that is the case, we want the police to tell us what made him commit suicide. I think we are entitled to know that,’ said Sudeep.

It is not only the police who have failed the grieving family.

Sudeep said they were not happy with the role of the IIT.

On May 10, the institute had formed a 10-member committee to assess the factors affecting students’ mental health after Sudeep and his mother wrote to IIT Kharagpur’s acting director, Amit Patra, on April 27.

“No one from the committee has spoken to us to date. This is shocking,” said Sudeep.

Patra told Metro: “Let us give time to the committee to study the matter and take action as appropriate.”