Police Probe Unnatural Death of Scottish Church College Student Found Unconscious in Hostel

Overview

• Rishita Banik, 21, a Political Science student from Tripura, was identified as the deceased resident of the women’s hostel on Bidhan Sarani in north Kolkata.
• Police said she returned to the hostel around 9:30 pm on January 23, reported feeling unwell, went to the sick room, and was found unconscious the next afternoon after her mother could not reach her by phone.
• She was taken to Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, admitted to the ICU, and was declared dead later that day.
• An unnatural-death case has been registered and investigators are awaiting the final post-mortem and toxicology reports after preliminary findings suggested a foreign or poisonous substance.
• Reports differ on police jurisdiction, with one account citing Burtolla Police Station and another mentioning Barasat, and no formal complaint has been filed by the family or hostel authorities.