JNU Student From Manipur Found Dead In Hostel Room

New Delhi: A student who had not been seen for three days at Delhi's prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was found dead in his hostel room on Tuesday evening.

Jatung Philemon Raja, a research student from Manipur, was lying on the floor when some students broke into his room. The students suspected something wrong and called security guards when they sensed a foul odour from the room.

"His room had been locked for two days. His phone kept ringing and no one answered," said a student.

Raja, who studied international relations, had written a chapter in the book "Persian Gulf 2014: India's Relations with the Region" edited by JNU professor PR Kumaraswamy.

JNU has witnessed huge protests since October 15 over the mystery disappearance of another student, Najeeb Ahmed.

Najeeb went missing after a fight with student activists at his hostel. He was allegedly beaten up severely the night before he vanished.

Last week, a large group of students kept the Vice Chancellor and other senior university officials confined in their office building overnight, accusing them of not doing enough to locate Najeeb. A day later, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh asked the police to form a special team to track down the student.

The police have announced a reward of Rs. 1 lakh on any information on Najeeb.