Vizag: NEET aspirant’s death at Aakash Byju's recommended hostel snowballs into controversy; family knocks Andhra HC

Visakhapatnam: The death of a 17-year-old NEET aspirant at the Aakash Byju's recommended hostel in Visakhapatnam has snowballed into a major controversy. While the family has called it a murder, the management said it was a case of accidental death.

Riti Saha, who was preparing for the NEET at the Aakash Byju's coaching center in Vizag, died after falling from hostel upstairs on July 14 this year.

As the cause of the death is yet to be ascertained, this has led to a tussle between the family and Aakash Byju's management.

Sukriti Saha, Riti Saha's sister, alleged that Aakash Byju's management offered money to settle the case. She said that the police also suggested they settle out of court. Sukriti Saha took to Twitter to explain the entire case, which brought the incident to light.

After passing 10th standard, Riti Saha a resident of Kolkata took admission at Aakash Byjus Class in Vizag. She was preparing for the National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test (NEET) and staying at Sadhana Ladies Hostel. Aakash Byjus recommended her admission to Achiever’s Junior College for her 12th standard as it did not have specific faculty.

Everything was fine, and she even called up her parents expressing confidence in cracking the exam. However, on July 14, she allegedly fell from the upstairs of the hostel and sustained severe injuries. She later died on July 16.

Case of accident, suicide, culpable homicide, or murder?

Speaking to the News Meter, senior advocate of Bombay High Court, who is also counsel in this case and Riti's biological uncle Joydeb Saha said that their strong apprehension is that Riti Saha's death was not a suicide or accident but a murder. The family believes that Byju's is involved in the murder.

"It was the Aakash Byju's who recommended the hostel. They have associations with it, and they can manipulate the situation. According to Aakash Byju's, the incident happened at 10:30 PM, but the assistant branch manager Ravi Kanth did not inform the family until 11:54 PM. In a conference call, the manager said that the student had fallen from the terrace, but the warden intervened and said that it was a staircase," the advocate said.

"When the family reached Vizag, they went to the police station and asked to file a complaint. The police rejected their request again and again. It was only after Riti's death that the police filed an FIR. Police are helping Byju's to pass off Riti's death as a suicide. Why didn't Byju's or the warden inform the police about the incident simultaneously when they informed the family? If they did inform the police, why didn't the police file an FIR on the same day?" the advocate questioned.

He added that the police didn't give a copy of Riti's things which they took for the investigation. “Either it should be included in the FIR or they have given a separate copy of the thing taken. But here they didn't give it till now. The hostel management seized the CCTV footage and is reluctant to share it. We have filed a petition for accessing the CCTV footage, and the Andhra High Court has appointed an advocate commissioner for the verification of the CCTV footage. Riti is a smart girl, and she would never commit suicide. It is a murder, and the agencies need to investigate who did it and why?" he said.

What we know so far

According to the FIR, the Dwarakanagar police, Visakhapatnam filed a case on July 16th under CrPC section 174, which covers the death under circumstances raising a reasonable suspicion.

The excerpts from the FIR: "On 16.07.2023, Dr. Sinki Suman, Medical superintendent, Care Hospital, Ramnagar, Visakhapatnam city informed that Riti Saaha, daughter of Sukdep Saha aged 17 yrs had fallen from the upstairs of Saadhana Hostel and sustained severe injuries on 14.07.2023 at about 22:30 hours. Subsequently, the injured was shifted to Venkataramana Hospital initially by the Hostel authority for medical treatment and later she was referred to Care Hospital for better treatment on 15.07.2023 vide IP No. 21046. While undergoing medical treatment the injured was declared dead due to TBI, Hypovolemic shock, and Polytrauma by Dr. Vijay Kumar, Neuro Surgeon on 16.07.2023 at 12:04 hours."

On August 8, Sukdeb Saha, Riti Saha's father, filed a writ petition in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati. He said the investigation done by the police was shoddy. He also stated that the CCTV footage of the establishment had not been collected on ill-fated days. He said there was every chance that the respondents -- Sadhana Ladies Hostel to Care Hospitals-- in collusion with the Station House Officer of IV Town Police Station, would try to manipulate the CCTV footage.

The HC had appointed a court commissioner to collect all the possible CCTV footage & other evidence related to the case. The next hearing is likely to be on the 24 of this month.

When NewsMeter reached out to the IV Town Police Station, they stated that the fair investigation is ongoing and the findings would be submitted to the court.

Police have also issued a press note denying the allegations of foul play in the investigation. "We have seized the CCTV footage and other relevant evidence, such as the tab and cell phone, and sent them to the FSL for analysis. Two eyewitnesses (girls) who went to the terrace to dry clothes at about 10:20 p.m. on July 14, 2023, saw Riti going upstairs. After some time, Riti went to the terrace with her Apple Tab in her hands and did not return. Her tab was found on the parapet wall and her chappals were found on the terrace.

A preliminary verification of the CCTV footage showed that she was alone at the time of death and no foul play had occurred. However, a full conclusion can only be reached after the CCTV footage and other evidence are analyzed by forensic experts," police said in the release

NewsMeter made multiple attempts to contact Aakash Byju's Management and Saadhana Hostel for their response, but they have not yet responded.

The copy will be updated as soon as they do.