Delay in BITS students’ death probe flagged

A delegation of Aam Admi Party led by president Valmiki Naik and MLA Cruz Silva handing over a memorandum to South Goa district Collector Egna Cleetus on the BITS Pilani student deaths.

MARGAO
A delegation of Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday called on the South Goa district Collector, Egna Cleetus with a plea to expedite the probe into the death of the 5th BITS Pilani student to ascertain the cause behind the deaths of students at the premier institute.

The Collector is believed to have told the delegation that the inquiry report is almost ready and the probe will be concluded after receiving the report from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and inputs from the police.

The AAP delegation comprising of State chief Valmiki Naik, MLA Cruz Silva, Prashant Nam and others insisted on the early completion of the inquiry, saying the deaths taking place at the BITS Pilani will not stop unless the authorities identify the reasons.

Later briefing the media, Valmiki reminded that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had ordered an inquiry after BITS Pilani reported the death of the fifth student in September last year. “After the recent death of the sixth student, the CM is still insisting that he has ordered the Collector to conduct a probe. But, the sad part is that the previous inquiry ordered by the Chief Minister has not concluded till date,” he said.

He further said the deaths had taken a different angle after the medico-legal officer has pointed out different reasons behind the student deaths. “We demand that the Chief Minister direct the Collector to expedite the ongoing inquiry and submit the report at the earliest,” he added.

AAP MLA Cruz Silva said the death of students at BITS Pilani are not isolated tragedies, but are symptoms of a systemic failure in our educational institutions and governance. “Let us be clear: students are not dying because they are weak. They are dying because we have failed to build systems that protect them when they fall. In July 2025, the Supreme Court of India issued 15 binding guidelines for every school and college across the country. These are not optional. They are legally enforceable,” Cruz said while demanding to know whether Goa has implemented these guidelines across its institutions.