Kolkata: College student dies after falling from fourth-floor home

KOLKATA: A first-year student of a popular college of commerce in central Kolkata died after an iron rod pierced through his body when he fell from the fourth-floor balcony of his Khoda Gunge road home at Beleghata on Sunday afternoon.

The body of Asutosh Mondal (18) kept hanging on the decorated iron rod of the apartment’s iron gate as locals, security guards and other members of the flat kept looking in horror till someone called the police for help. Some even tried to free his body from the iron rod but failed. He was not breathing or showing any signs of life, locals told police while informing them about the incident. The incident happened around 3.50pm, police said.

“The iron rod pierced the body and even broke while people were attempting to free him. We rushed him to NRS Hospital where he was declared dead. We have sent his body for post mortem,” said an officer of Beleghata police station.

Locals said the Mondals had moved into the five storey apartment’s fourth floor flat four months ago. Asustosh lived there with his mother and an ailing grandmother. His father, a BSF officer is serving outside the state.

“Her mother was at home when the incident happened. She came running down and was pleading everyone for help but he was already dead,” said a local resident.

Police have registered an unnatural death case and are questioning the family and local residents to find out if the incident was an act of suicide or an accident. “We are questioning local residents, his family and are also trying to gather CCTV footages around the area to find out how the incident took place. That will help us understand if the youth had jumped by himself or if the fall was accidental in nature. We haven’t found any suicide note though,” said an officer probing into the case.