Congress slams Govt, demands probe into BITS Goa student deaths

Goa Khabar : The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has strongly criticized the state government and BITS Pilani, Goa Campus administration following the death of another 20-year-old student — the fifth such case reported in a year.

GPCC President Amit Patkar described the incident as a “grim failure of governance and accountability” and said the repeated student deaths pointed to systemic negligence on campus.

“Parents send their children here with hopes of a bright future, but instead, they are faced with heartbreak and unanswered questions. Neither the Goa Government nor the BITS administration has taken meaningful steps despite repeated tragedies. This silence is complicity,” Patkar said.

The Congress has demanded:

• A judicial probe into all student deaths at BITS Goa in the past year.
• A 30-day safety and mental-health audit of the campus.
• Creation of a 24×7 crisis and anti-ragging cell with direct parent access.

Quarterly public disclosures on campus safety measures by both the institute and the state.

Patkar warned that if the government continued to shield the institution, the Congress would escalate the issue in the Assembly and take it up with the UGC and the Ministry of Education.