VASCO
Suspecting foul play into the death of 20-year-old Krishna Kasera, a second-year student at the BITS Pilani Goa campus, the family has refused to claim the body and also plans legal action against the institution.
The student, a native of Lucknow, was found hanging in his hostel room on Thursday morning.
Speaking to reporters, the grieving family blamed the institution for negligence.
“Krishna messaged me a day earlier saying he was unwell. I asked him to take some medicine but got no further response. We assumed he might be studying late in the library because of the exams,” said the distraught mother, Manisha Kasera.
“The next morning, after repeated attempts to contact him failed, we got in touch with the warden through a number we found online. Only then were we told he had died by suicide. I have lost my son due to the gross negligence at the BITS Pilani campus.”
The student’s uncle, Aman Poddar, raised serious suspicions over the circumstances of the death, stating this was the third such suicide on campus in a similar fashion in recent months. “The college administration failed to inform the family even after his death. It was only after we reached out to them that they told us the room was locked. Later, they said he was found hanging. How can this be allowed to happen again and again? This is a serious lapse in security, surveillance, and accountability,” Poddar said.
“There are no CCTV cameras in hostel corridors. The college is trying to hide something. We strongly suspect this is a case of cold-blooded murder. We are refusing to accept the body until we get concrete answers. We have decided to sue the institution and initiate legal proceedings,” Poddar said.
He alleged that despite the institution charging high fees, basic facilities such as water coolers and air conditioning were absent in hostel rooms, forcing students to spend long hours in the library. He added that Rs 90,000 was collected from the family under the guise of an internship, and called the system exploitative and mentally taxing for students.
Another relative, Manish Poddar, also highlighted an alarming pattern.
“This is the third such incident in the same manner—students dying by hanging just before exams. In this case, Krishna had not come out of his room for nearly 15 hours, and the college only found out after we called. There’s no system to check whether students are safe or even alive,” said Manish.
“He had approached the campus counselling centre on April 26, yet no action was taken and the family was kept in the dark. What is the use of counselling if it doesn’t prevent such tragedies?” he questioned.
The family has categorically stated they will not take possession of Krishna’s body until their grievances are addressed and a proper investigation is carried out.
They have also demanded that the college be held accountable for what they believe is institutional failure leading to multiple student deaths.
