New Delhi, Feb 5: The Supreme Court Tuesday directed Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar to make himself available before the CBI and "faithfully" cooperate with the agency in investigation of cases arising out of the Saradha chit fund scam probe.

The apex court said Kumar will appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for investigation at Shillong in Meghalaya.

The apex court also said no coercive steps, including the arrest of the Kolkata Police chief, will take place during the course of investigation.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi also issued a notice to Kumar and sought his response before February 20, the next date of hearing on the allegations by the CBI that he was tampering with electronic evidence and that the SIT headed by him provided the agency with doctored materials.

The court directed Kumar to make himself available before the CBI and "faithfully cooperate" in the Saradha scam probe.

The apex court also directed the West Bengal chief secretary, the director general of police (DGP) and the Kolkata Police commissioner to file replies on the contempt pleas filed against them by the CBI on or before February 18.

The bench also comprising justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjeev Khanna said on consideration of replies of the chief secretary, the DGP and the Kolkata police commissioner, the court might prefer the personal appearance of these three authorities on February 20.

The bench said the apex court's secretary general will inform them on February 19 whether they are required to be present before the apex court on February 20.

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Bengaluru (PTI): A 19-year-old student from Kerala, who was studying at a private nursing college here, allegedly died by suicide in his hostel room, police said on Friday.

The deceased was identified as Adhityan P A, a second-year student at a nursing college in Bommasandra, they said.

On April 29, he was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his hostel room, police said, adding that he left behind a suicide note stating that no one was responsible for his death.

Preliminary investigation suggested that he may have been suffering from depression, and there may have been other issues which are being probed, a senior police officer said.

According to police, in his complaint, the deceased's father, Pradeep S, claimed that a college representative informed him upon his arrival in Bengaluru that his son had died under suspicious circumstances and that it was a case of suicide in the college hostel.

"However, I firmly believe that my son would not have taken such a step. He was of good character and mentally strong. Therefore, I strongly suspect foul play in his death," he claimed.

He also highlighted an incident that occurred approximately 20 days ago, when his son informed him that some of his hostel roommates were involved in drug use and were caught by hostel authorities.

"They were warned along with my son, although he was innocent and not involved in the incident. This situation may be relevant to the present case," he stated.

The complainant has urged the police to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the matter and take appropriate legal action.

A case of unnatural death has been registered at Hebbagudi Police Station here. Further investigation is underway, and all allegations are being examined, police said.