Death Of Student In Campus Clash: Jharkhand High Court Directs BIT Mesra To Frame SOP For Safety And Security Of Students
The Jharkhand High Court stated that it did not appreciate the conduct of the Management of BIT Mesra for giving vague and wrong information to the parents of the deceased student.
The Jharkhand High Court directed that necessary SOP should be prepared by the Management of the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, with regard to Administration during the Educational Sessions for the safety and security of the Students.
The Court was considering a petition pertaining to the death of a student, Raja Paswan on November 14, 2024 in an incident that happened in front of the Hostel in the Campus of BIT Mesra.
The Court stated that it did not appreciate the conduct of the Management of BIT Mesra for giving vague and wrong information to the parents of the deceased student. Furthermore, the Court found that copies of the CCTV footage of the entire incident have not been brought on record in the case diary.
The College Management had informed the parents of the deceased student that the deceased had consumed wine, due to which he had become ill, and thereafter, he was taken to his house by his parents, and no treatment was given to the deceased student.
A Single Bench of Justice Sanjay Prasad remarked, “This Court does not appreciate the conduct of the Management of BIT Mesra for giving a vague and wrong information to the parents of the deceased student-Raja Paswan. This Court finds that copies of the CCTV footage of the entire incident have not been brought on record in the case diary.”
Senior Advocates AK Kashyap and BM Tripathy appeared for the Appellant, while Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan represented the Respondents.
Brief Facts
It was informed by Vice Chancellor, BIT Mesra, that an internal enquiry was done and they have got a copy of the enquiry report, but they could not bring it before the Court. The Court further pointed out to Director General of Police, State of Jharkhand that there should be some security arrangements in the premises of the Educational Institutions so that any untoward incidents may not happen in future and if so required, the State Government may make a policy and SOP should be prepared for the entire State of Jharkhand in all the Educational Institutions for the security of the Students.
Court’s Observations
The High Court held, “This Court is further of the view that necessary SOP should be prepared by the College Management with regard to Administration during the Educational Sessions and SOP should also be prepared for the safety and security of the Students studying therein and shall submit its report on the next date fixed in this case.”
The Court was also "further concerned that the Management should take some necessary steps for the parents of the deceased-Raja Paswan and apprise this Court."
The personal appearance of Anurag Gupta, Director General of Police, State of Jharkhand and Prof. Indranil Manna, Vice Chancellor, BIT Mesra, Ranchi, are dispensed with for the present. However, Mr. Vinay Sharma, Former Director, BIT Mesra, Ranchi and Mr. Sandeep Das, Registrar, BIT Mesra, Ranchi, "shall remain physically present before this Court on the next date fixed."
Accordingly, the High Court listed the matter for further consideration on 24th June, 2025.
Cause Title: Mausam Kumar Singh v. The State of Jharkhand & Anr. (Cr. Appeal (S.J) No. 149 of 2025)
Appearance:
Appellant: Senior Advocates A.K Kashyap and B.M. Tripathy; Advocates Naveen Kr. Jaiswal, Ranjan Kr. Singh and Santosh Kumar
Respondents: Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan; APP Rajesh Kumar; Advocates Srijit Choudhary and Tanya Rai
