Kolkata, 18 Sept

CCTV footage has captured at least 40 people near the pond inside Jadavpur University (JU) where a third-year English Literature student was found dead on the night of 11 September, a senior Kolkata Police officer said on Thursday.

Investigators are planning to question all those seen in the footage before Durga Puja, the officer added. “Our officers believe the answer to the mysterious death may lie in the CCTV recordings, particularly near the bathroom adjacent to the pond. Around 40 people were captured on the evening of 11 September, and all may be questioned,” he said.

The student was found unconscious in the pond during a cultural programme organised by the Arts Faculty Students Union’s drama club and was declared dead at a nearby hospital. Post-mortem examination suggested drowning as the cause of death, but the police registered a murder case after the parents lodged a complaint alleging foul play.

Efforts are ongoing to locate the student’s missing purse and glasses, with divers likely to be deployed again in the pond.

Meanwhile, amid the controversy surrounding her death, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has suspended its JU unit assistant secretary Soumik Mondal over allegations of improper conduct with a female student during an educational trip to Santiniketan.

In an official statement, JU SFI unit president Russell Parvez said the suspension was effective immediately. “On receiving a complaint of inappropriate conduct lodged with the student union, we held discussions from the unit to the local level and decided to suspend Mondal,” he said.

Mondal has been barred from attending SFI programmes or discharging organisational duties until the probe is completed. The complaint alleged that Mondal molested a female English department student during the trip.

SFI has also demanded a thorough investigation into the JU student’s death and called for strict surveillance on campus to prevent further incidents. The organisation pledged full cooperation with authorities in the ongoing inquiry.

On Wednesday, six JU students were questioned by the police, all of whom claimed they did not know the deceased. The investigation continues to determine whether the death was accidental or premeditated.

The incident has raised serious concerns about campus safety and student conduct, prompting calls for closer monitoring of university activities and stricter measures to ensure the welfare of students.