Panaji, September 12, 2025: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has expressed deep anguish and outrage over what it termed the “tragic and repeated” loss of young lives at the BITS Pilani Goa campus, where five students have died within the last ten months.
GPCC President Amit Patkar said that revelations of narcotics in toxicology reports following the deaths highlight “a shocking collapse of institutional responsibility and government accountability.”
“How did narcotics find their way into one of the country’s premier campuses? What monitoring mechanisms were in place? Why were repeated deaths ignored until young lives were cut short? These questions demand immediate answers,” Patkar stated.
“Accountability Cannot Be Escaped”
The Congress leader alleged criminal negligence on the part of the BITS administration, law enforcement agencies, and the BJP-led state government, accusing them of turning Goa into “a haven for drugs and cartels.”
Citing data, Patkar said:
- Over 150 kg of narcotics worth ₹73 crore were seized in the first half of 2025.
- 162 kg worth ₹7.1 crore were seized in just eight months this year.
- In 2024, drugs worth nearly ₹9.81 crore were confiscated.
“If these are only the seizures, the unchecked flow of narcotics into our campuses and streets is unimaginable. This is not just failure — this is complicity,” he charged.
Congress Puts Forward Demands
The GPCC has demanded:
- A judicial inquiry into all five student deaths.
- Publication of postmortem and toxicology findings.
- Fixing accountability within BITS Pilani administration for hostel and student safety lapses.
- A zero-tolerance crackdown on cartels “thriving under BJP’s patronage.”
- A safety and mental health audit across Goa’s higher education institutions.
Warning of Agitation
The Congress has warned that if both the state government and BITS Pilani fail to act within 15 days, the party will launch a statewide agitation involving parents, students, and civil society groups.
“Every student death is a blot on Goa’s conscience. The Congress will not stay silent while youth are sacrificed to drugs and corruption. We stand firmly with the bereaved families and the student community,” Amit Patkar affirmed.