Berhampur: Police in Odisha’s Ganjam district arrested Biswajit Jena (24), a final-year BCA student at a private engineering college and nephew of Odisha’s Transport, Commerce, Steel and Mines Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena, on Sunday on charges of abetment to suicide.
The arrest followed the death of a 20-year-old second-year BCA student at the same college, who was found hanging from the ceiling of her hostel room on the morning of June 21. She was rushed to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur, where doctors declared her dead.
Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M said that a case was registered at Golanthara police station under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for abetment to suicide, ba
sed on a complaint filed by the deceased woman’s maternal uncle. The complainant alleged that the victim was in a relationship with Biswajit and that mental pressure and harassment by the accused drove her to take the extreme step.
Senior police officers, including the SP, visited the scene along with a scientific team and an executive magistrate. The deceased student’s laptop and mobile phone, as well as electronic devices belonging to the accused, were seized for forensic and technical analysis. CCTV footage from the hostel premises was also collected.
Police have questioned the victim’s friends and acquaintances to determine the circumstances leading to the incident.
“The probe is in its preliminary stage. We are verifying the accusations made by the family members and collecting digital evidence. We will be able to provide more details as the investigation progresses,” a senior police officer said.
The deceased was staying in the girls’ hostel with her sister and three other roommates.
Earlier, Opposition parties, including the BJD, demanded the immediate arrest of the accused regardless of his family connections. Former MLA and BJD’s Ganjam district president Ramesh Chandra Ayyau Patnaik emphasised that “the law must take its own course.”
Minister Jena was not reachable for comment on the arrest of his nephew.