Mumbai: TISS Student Found Dead In Chembur, Police Discount Ragging; Probe Alcohol Consumption Angle

Mumbai: A 29-year-old TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences) student was found dead in his rented apartment in Chembur on Sunday. Elsewhere in the media, he has been identified as Anurag Jaiswal, though police are yet to confirm his identity. He was a 1st-year human resources student.

While the initial buzz was he may have suffered ragging, the police have discounted this version. An accidental death report (ADR) has been registered and an investigation is underway. The post-mortem will be conducted after his parents arrive in Mumbai.

A Top Official Of TISS On The Incident

According to a top official from TISS, the student, 29, had embarked on his Master’s in Human Resource Management and Labour Relations (HRM-LR) course at the premier institute barely 10 days ago. The institute suspects that he died of excessive drinking, though an autopsy is yet to confirm that. The authorities have, however, vehemently denied any link to ‘ragging’.

About The Incident

Sources say Jaiswal attended a party in Vashi with friends, where they consumed alcohol. He was heavily intoxicated; even the bartender refused him drinks and he tried snatching them from his friends. They returned to their Chembur flat around 1.30 am. Jaiswal lived with three friends who were also TISS students. The next morning, while his friends woke up, Jaiswal did not. They immediately took him to a nearby hospital in Chembur, where doctors pronounced him dead.

According to the TISS official, “He returned from the party as he was feeling drowsy. His roommates reported that they even heard him snoring till 2.30- 3 am.’’

The police are questioning Jaiswal’s friends. His family in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, has been informed of his death. The family requested that the post-mortem be conducted upon their arrival in Mumbai, after which the procedure will be undertaken at Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar. The 29-year-old had previously worked at a bank before joining TISS.

“We are shocked at the incident. MA (HRM-LR) is one of our top programmes and the students joining it are usually very mature. The get-together was organised by students on their own, we don’t encourage such things,” said the official.

A student at the institute said that at least 100 students from the junior and senior batches participated in the event at Navi Mumbai.

“While most of the departments have their fresher events within the campus, MA (HRM-LM) students are known to be more free-spirited,” said the student.