NIT-P student’s father alleges negligence by authorities

Patna: Had the authorities of National Institute of Technology (NIT)-Patna (Bihta campus) been vigilant enough and bothered to find out that a hostel student was missing for two days, Prashant Pal, a third year computer science engineering (CSE) student, who died by suicide by coming under a train on April 19 night, could have been saved, said his father Hari Om. Prashant's family said he left the hostel around 12.55pm on April 18 on the pretext of going to market, and did not return. "His whereabouts were not known for over 32 hours, before he came under a train around 9.40pm on April 19. But nobody cared to know, let alone finding out, that he was missing from his room. Had the college authorities shown concern and taken prompt action, my son would have been alive today," said the father, weeping over phone, from his home in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.Prashant's body was found on railway tracks in Bihta by GRP, just a few hours after the NIT-P filed a missing complaint with the local police. When contacted again on Monday, dean, students' welfare, Samrat Mukherjee, said he was not fully aware of what actually transpired on Bihta campus. Asked why they didn't try to find the student's whereabouts when he didn't return on the night he left and even the next day, Bihta campus's hostel warden Subodh Srivastava refused to answer, disconnecting the call. Prashant's father said porters of Bihta railway station spotted him roaming around for close to two days. "He wouldn't have got an opportunity to die by suicide at the main station, so he walked to a spot over 2km away to end his life in the dark of night. What were the college authorities doing during this period? They are 100% responsible for my son's death by not taking any note of his absence," said Hari Om.Asked why the family didn't contact him during the two days, he said that Prashant had told his sister not to disturb him for the next three-four days, as he would be busy with his studies for an upcoming exam. "He had left his phone in his hostel room. I called him several times during this period and when he didn't reply, my daughter registered a complaint with police around 4pm on April 19," he said.Prashant had last talked to his sister Nisha for 47 seconds on April 18 at 10.51am. Prashant had left several suicide notes, dated April 16, for his family members and friends. About his son's health problem, he said Prashant's palms would sweat even in winters. "This disturbed him a lot but he was also undergoing treatment for the illness," he said. Prashant, third among his four siblings, is survived by two sisters and a younger brother. He was a bright student, said the younger brother, Abhishek Pal.