A 21-year-old student from Himachal Pradesh, enrolled in a six-month marine engineering crash course at a private college in Howrah, was found unconscious
in a swimming pool on the campus on Saturday. He was declared dead at a hospital soon after.

The deceased, Kapil Kumar, hailed from Hamirpur and had paid ₹8 lakh to pursue the course at SEACOM Group of Colleges in Sankrail, Howrah.

Kapil’s elder sister, Monika Kumar, has alleged that her brother did not die by drowning and suspects he was murdered. She has filed a police complaint at Sankrail police station, accusing the college of withholding information.

“My brother knew how to swim. He couldn’t have drowned. We saw bloodstains at the back of his head. The college won’t share CCTV footage or let us access his room or speak to his friends,” Monika told reporters.

Following the complaint, a case of murder under Section 101 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered against unknown persons.

A senior Howrah City police officer told Metro: “We are awaiting the post-mortem report. Investigators are speaking to batchmates and teachers to find out how Kapil ended up at the pool.”

Investigators reconstructed a timeline of events. On Saturday morning, Kapil attended class. His batchmates confirmed his presence.

Around 1pm, his friends found him unconscious in the diving pool, which college authorities said was not open that day.

He was taken to the campus medical officer with a falling pulse. “Kapil was given CPR, but it didn’t revive him,” the officer said. He was taken to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

“We have seized CCTV footage from the college,” the officer said.

Anindita Chakrabarti, the college’s administrative officer, ruled out foul play. “We don’t suspect anything unnatural. We don’t know how he reached the pool, which was closed on Saturday. The police are investigating the death. Let them send the report then we will be able to comment. We are also awaiting the post-mortem report,” she said.

She added that Kapil’s friends found him near the pool and that the college is fully cooperating with investigators.