Punish him if he's guilty: Arrested alumnus's dad

KHARAGPUR: The family of arrested JU alumnus, Sourav Chowdhury, in East Midnapore's Chandrakona are shocked at his arrest for the death of a first year student at Jadavpur University and said he couldn't be involved in such a heinous act. But if his action did push Swapnadip Kundu over the edge that ultimately led to his death, Sourav's father Nirup said, he should get the punishment he deserves.
Both he and his wife Praniti said they were extremely distraught at the developments at JU in Kolkata, first on learning about the death of Swapnadip after a fall from the hostel complex where their son lived, and then when they learnt that he had been arrested and booked for murder and common intention. Both of them said Sourav, who was preparing for competitive exams, was innocent and was being framed in the death for which others were responsible.

Chowdhury had called up Praniti on Friday afternoon and said that he was innocent and had no involvement in the death of the 18-year-old first-year student.
Sourav had cleared his masters in Mathematics in 2022 but was staying in the hostel and was also the head of the mess committee, according to the cops.

The arrest took place after Swapnadip's father lodged a murder complaint, naming him and another student.
"My son is innocent. He is being framed. He cannot be involved in the death of Swapnadip. Even his friends in the university are claiming that he is not that sort of a boy and cannot be involved in such an incident," said an inconsolable Praniti.
"I came to know of his arrest on Friday afternoon but we had spoken just before that when he assured me that he had no role in the boy's death. He said he was not involved in any form of ragging and will not be punished."
According to the complaint to the police by Swapnadip's father, Sourav and another student at the university were instrumental in getting Swapnadip a room at the hostel. He has mentioned in his complaint that a group of hostel students, under Sourav's leadership, was responsible for his death.
Nirup said his son was staying in the city as he was preparing for various competitive exams. "He was sure that he will be able to clear WBCS examination. He was studying hard for that. But if my son has done anything wrong, he should be punished," he said.