DU student found dead early morning after Facebook post at night

The bloodied body of Sanju Baraik (23), a student of Dhaka University’s Jagannath Hall, was discovered early Monday morning (July 14) beneath the hall’s newly constructed Rabindra Building. Police recovered the body.

Police and university officials confirmed that Sanju was a student of the Anthropology Department for the 2020-21 academic year and lived in Jagannath Hall. His hometown is in Chunarughat upazila of Habiganj district.

Earlier, around 2:30am on Monday, Sanju posted a status on his Facebook account saying, “I have realized my mistakes. Day after day, I disturbed others. It was wrong to blame others. I apologize to everyone. If I have hurt anyone, the responsibility is mine alone. I am sorry.”

Dhaka University Proctor Professor AKM Saifuddin Ahmed said, “Sanju’s bloodied body was found lying under the building early in the morning. The police recovered the body and sent it to the hospital for autopsy. Efforts are ongoing to contact his family.”

Jagannath Hall Principal Professor Debashish Pal said, “From Sanju’s friends, we learned that he had been suffering from mental health problems for some time. He had not been in the hall for the last two days. He returned around 4 am today and after about ten minutes went up to the roof of the building.”

Shahbagh Police Station Officer-in-Charge Khalid Monsur said CCTV footage from the hall shows Sanju falling from the roof. He said, “It is not yet clear whether this was a suicide or an accident, but preliminary findings suggest it may be suicide. More details will be known after investigation.”

It is also known that Sanju had previously shared with friends about his mental stress and personal problems several times.