BITS Pilani Student’s Death Under Drug Probe, Says Goa CM Sawant

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday confirmed that police are investigating the supply and use of narcotics after the death of a BITS Pilani student at the institute’s Goa campus.

Sawant’s statement followed South Goa SP Tikam Singh Verma’s disclosure that preliminary forensic tests detected narcotics in the deceased student’s blood. Asked by reporters about the government’s failure to prevent drugs from infiltrating educational institutions, Sawant said only, “The investigation is ongoing.”

Opposition leaders swiftly targeted the BJP government for what they called a systemic lapse in curbing drug abuse on campuses.

The student, identified as Rishi Nair of Bengaluru, was found dead in his hostel room on September 4. Nair is the fifth student to die under suspicious circumstances on the BITS Pilani Goa campus since December 2024.

Goa Revolutionary Goans MLA Viresh Borkar accused the BJP and police of failing to check drug trafficking. AAP MLA Cruz Silva alleged that narcotics are “widely available” across the state, including in colleges. AAP state president Amit Palekar demanded accountability from law-enforcement agencies, the Food and Drug Administration, and Chief Minister Sawant for allowing banned substances to reach major academic institutions.