P.M. Ajmal (18), a second semester student of the Academy of Aviation and Engineering of Sha-Shib Group near Chickballapur, who was being treated for burn injuries at Victoria Hospital since a week, died on Friday.
“The cause of his burns is still a mystery. We are waiting for the post-mortem report and the Forensic Science Laboratory report to ascertain the cause,” Chikkajala police said.
Ragging
Ajmal, in his statement to the police when he was admitted to the hospital on March 23, said that he was taking a bath in his hostel at Betta Halasuru Cross at 11 p.m. on March 22. Ajmal heard some noise nearby and tried to open the door, but it was locked from the outside. Suddenly he found the bathroom on fire.
“Based on his statements, his family had alleged that Ajmal had sustained burns after allegedly being ragged by his seniors. We are investigating the case,” an officer at the Chikkajala police station, said.
However, in his statement, Ajmal admitted that he had no enmity with anyone and that no one in the college had troubled him, the officer added.
Ajmal was a native of Kannur in Kerala. While, his father M. Harris works as a driver in Abu Dhabi, his uncle resides in Yelahanka.
Ajmal's classmates and friends claimed that the boy was being harassed by three senior students, who had forced them to bunk classes and examinations. They said Ajmal stole his mother's necklace and gave it to the three senior students.
The Chikkajala police, since March 23, have questioned at least 25 students of the Academy of Aviation and Engineering of Sha-Shib Group and also several residents of Chickballapur.
“The college authorities have reportedly denied any case of ragging on their premises,” the officer added.
