A boy was found mysteriously murdered in the Hansraj College hostel. The boy was recognized to be 22 year old, Mukesh Kumar of B.A. Hindi Hons. The victim was visually impaired and was found hanging from the ceiling fan.
Around 7:30 in the evening on 8th February, Mukesh Kumar’s friend came to his room for dinner, and receiving no reply from within he alerted the warden who then proceeded to call in the police.
Police suspect it to be a murder case since the victim’s hands were tied behind his back and suicide seems improbable. “We have lodged a murder case. We believe this to be the job of an insider who knew exactly where Mukesh stayed in the hostel,” said DCP (North) Sagarpreet Hooda.
Hooda said Mukesh came from a poor family in UP. “It is too early to arrive at a conclusion about the case. A crime team has been sent to the spot to investigate. We are questioning his hostel mates. His parents have been informed and they are on their way to Delhi,” the DCP said.
The incident is significant considering that security at the Hansraj College hostel is regarded as the strictest in north campus.
Karnal Singh, Joint Commissioner, Northern Range stated to us that murder was a distinct possibility. “We have sent the body for post-mortem. But we can confirm that there has been an attempt to pass off a murder as a suicide. Both the hands of the deceased were tied indicating foul play. We are yet to retrieve any suicide note. Moreover, a stool was found inches below Mukesh’s legs. If he had indeed hanged himself, he would have kicked the stool away,” said Singh.
In the interim, an investigating officer said that the rope used for the hanging was much longer than needed. “The aim probably was to use the rope to pull the body up. His white shirt and black trousers were unscathed. All these make the suicide theory very implausible,” said the officer.
The incident has caused a lot of panic in the College hostel. A hostel resident, upon being questioned, said that blind students are allotted single rooms which are close to the main gate, are well lit and are easily visible from outside. Moreover the area where the room is located is the most accessible area of the hostel as the residents often stroll by it at night while taking study breaks.
When asked about the possibilities of the case being one of bullying a classmate of the victim regarded it as improbable, stating that Mukesh was, “a simple guy of cheerful demeanour. He was good at studies and kept to himself. He had a few friends and no problems with anyone at the hostel whatsoever.”
