Jadavpur Univ student’s death: Murder case registered after plaint by father

Kolkata: In a major development in the Jadavpur University (JU) student Anamika Mondal’s unnatural death case, police on Monday registered a murder case following a complaint by her father. The homicide section of the Kolkata Police has taken over the investigation.

Mondal, a third-year student, was found dead on September 11 when her body was recovered from a lake inside the university campus near Gate No. 4. The preliminary autopsy report suggested drowning as the cause of death. However, her father alleged that she had been pushed into the water.

On Monday morning, Mondal’s father met Kolkata Police commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma and shared his suspicion. He later lodged a complaint at Jadavpur Police Station, based on which a murder case was initiated. Police have also summoned three JU students, questioned earlier on Sunday, for further interrogation.

Speaking to news channels earlier, Mondal’s father had said his daughter was afraid of darkness and would not have gone to the lake alone. He also suspected she may have been lured to the spot before being pushed in. Police have seized the student’s mobile phone and are scanning CCTV footage. While she was seen walking towards the lake, no footage of the exact location is available. During investigation, the autopsy surgeon and the scientific wing of Kolkata Police inspected the site and collected samples.

Though it is suspected that Mondal may have been under the influence of alcohol when she fell, police are awaiting the viscera report.