Traces of drugs were detected in the system of a 20-year-old BITS Pilani student who was found dead in his hostel room at the institute’s South Goa campus last week, chief minister Pramod Sawant confirmed on Friday.

The student, Rishi Nair, was discovered in his room on 4 September. His death marks the fifth such incident reported at the campus near Vasco since December 2024. Earlier cases involved students Om Priyan Singh (December 2024), Atharv Desai (March 2025), Krishna Kasera (May 2025) and Kushagra Jain (August 2025).

Superintendent of Police (South) Tikam Singh Verma said a preliminary autopsy indicated the presence of drugs in Nair’s body. However, he clarified this was the first of the five cases in which drugs had been detected. “Strict vigilance is being maintained around educational institutions, including BITS Pilani, to check possible use of drugs, alcohol or other banned substances,” he told reporters in Margao.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party leaders raised concerns about the easy availability of narcotics on campuses. MLA Cruz Silva, who met SP Verma on Friday, alleged that students were aware of where to obtain drugs and criticised police inaction against peddlers. AAP Goa president Amit Palekar held the state government and police responsible, calling the issue a “failure of law and order” and urging the chief minister to act decisively.

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