For months until his death on November 14, 2024, the Dalit Paswan family knew something was wrong with their son Raja. A second-year polytechnic student at the Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) Mesra – some 40 minutes away from their home in a slum in Ranchi — Raja would, on many evenings, describe the bullying and caste harassment he faced.
“Some students would frequently enter his room and trouble him. At times, they would take away his pen or notebooks, tear his clothes and beat him,” his mother Gayatri Devi told The Indian Express. “He was scared to leave the door open. But he told us not to visit.”
On November 14, 2024 — hours after a call from the hostel informed them that he had fainted – Raja died, allegedly beaten to death by his hostel mates. Last month, the Supreme Court upheld a directive from the Jharkhand High Court ordering BIT Mesra to pay Rs 20 lakh in compensation to his parents over the alleged killing; five people have been arrested in the case. The court’s direction came after the college management moved the Supreme Court seeking time to pay the compensation.
Apart from the compensation, High Court also directed the college management to prepare the necessary SOP for students’ safety.
For the family, however, these orders give little comfort. The eldest of four siblings, Raja had offered hope to the family. “Raja often spoke about lifting the family out of poverty. He was like a parent to us,” she says.
In the FIR in November 2024, father Chandan Paswan, who runs a small snack stall near the Ranchi bus stand with his wife, claimed Raja had called him shortly before the incident and complained that some people in the hostel were bullying him and abusing him with casteist slurs.
“Just as we were preparing to leave, we got another phone call from the hostel warden, who said that Raja was vomiting repeatedly and had fainted. We left immediately,” he says.
Story continues below this ad
When they reached, they allegedly found their son unconscious and unable to speak. “It was late at night, so we brought him home. Raja remained unconscious throughout the night. The next day, we took him to the hospital for treatment. During treatment at the hospital, my son died,” Raja’s father Chandan says.
The FIR in the case, which names unknown people and the college management, invokes sections for murder under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Atrocities Act.
While dismissing their criminal appeals for bail last July, the Jharkhand HC observed that the college management had told Raja’s parents that the suspects had taken wine, causing him to faint. It also quoted the management as saying that Raja was given no treatment once he was taken home.
“This court does not appreciate the conduct of the Management of BIT Mesra for giving 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,” a single bench of Justice Sanjay Prasad later observed.
Story continues below this ad
Earlier last month, the college moved a special leave petition in the Supreme Court seeking some time to pay the compensation, which was granted.
The family describes Raja as a good student, and alleges prolonged harassment at college.
“Despite this, he would tell us not to come or complain so he could focus on education. He was determined to complete his education and improve our financial condition,” his father Chandan says, adding that he wanted to help get his sisters married.
The family also disputes the college’s claim that Raja had fainted after drinking, alleging there were multiple injury marks on his body. “It was a sign that he was severely beaten, like he used to tell us on calls,” Devi says.
Story continues below this ad
The college says that they will comply with the court order but denies any negligence on its part. The case pertains to physical assault by outsiders outside the BIT campus, says one official.
“We offered all possible help but the parents turned that down, and that’s the reason why the student eventually, unfortunately, died. We are very sorry about it,” the official says.
But for the family, these words offer little comfort. As the case moves at a glacial pace, all the family can now do is wait for letters from court. “Is our son’s life worth so little?” the mother asks.
