An autopsy report has revealed that a Senegalese medical student who died during a police intervention at a university in the capital last week suffered “multiple traumas” and “massive internal bleeding,” according to documents circulated widely in local media.
The deceased, identified as medical student Abdulai, died on the campus of Cheikh Anta Diop University one week ago amid violent clashes between students and security forces. The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, and the autopsy report, which was widely reported over the weekend in the West African country’s media, has not been independently verified.
The police action came after several days of student protests that turned violent. Demonstrators had gathered to demand the payment of outstanding stipends, known locally as “stan aras.”
According to student groups who led the protests that resulted in the clashes, the death was the result of police brutality. Last week, they asserted that Abdulai had been “brutally tortured to death” by officers during the intervention.
However, a statement released on Saturday by the public prosecutor presented a conflicting account, stating that “the available evidence does not corroborate the rumors of physical violence inflicted on the victim.”
The conflicting narratives from the student body and the public prosecutor’s office have heightened tensions and deepened the national debate over the use of force by police in educational institutions. Authorities have yet to release an official cause of death, pending further investigation.
