Patna, Jan 19 (PTI) Amid the outrage over the death of a NEET aspirant following suspected sexual assault in Patna, the alleged suicide of a minor girl living in another hostel in the city has come to light, an official said on Monday.
Opposition parties criticised the government for the two deaths, which happened on the same day, and demanded that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar immediately postpone his public outreach programme ‘Samridhi Yatra’, while calling for a CBI probe.
A 15-year-old student, a resident of Aurangabad, was found hanging in her room in a girls’ hostel on Exhibition Road under the jurisdiction of Gandhi Maidan police station on January 11. It is on this day that the NEET aspirant from Jehanabad died in a hospital.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the girl died by suicide. The victim’s family filed a complaint and an FIR was registered on the basis of that. However, we found no foul play in the case. The postmortem report also concluded that it is a case of suicide,” SHO of Gandhi Maidan police station Akhilesh Kumar Mishra told PTI.
The fresh case assumes significance in the backdrop of the death of a NEET aspirant that has drawn nationwide attention and criticism over hostel safety.
The 18-year-old resident of Jehanabad, who was preparing for the medical entrance exam NEET, was found unconscious in her room of a hostel in Chitragupt Nagar area. She died at a private hospital on January 11 after remaining in a coma for several days.
Her family had alleged that she was sexually assaulted, accusing authorities of attempting a cover-up. The police constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the incident.
Her death led to massive protests in Patna, following which the police arrested the owner of the private hostel. The initial findings of the doctors concluded that the death occurred because she had consumed a large number of sleeping pills, and she was also suffering from typhoid.
However, the post-mortem report said that “sexual violence cannot be ruled out” in the case.
Family members of the Jehanabad woman have demanded a CBI probe into the incident.
Her mother told reporters: “We can’t rely on the police. There should be a CBI probe into the incident. I want justice for my daughter. These policemen did not even allow me to serve a glass of water to my daughter a few hours before her death.” Independent Lok Sabha MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav has also demanded a CBI probe into the case. He recently wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in this regard.
Bihar Congress workers on Monday held a protest against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the state police over the alleged lapses in the investigation into the death of the NEET aspirant.
RJD president Lalu Prasad’s daughter Rohini Acharya on Monday urged the chief minister to immediately postpone his Samridhi Yatra and see how girls are becoming victims of sexual assault and murder.
In a post on X on Monday, Acharya said, “Just a few days ago, the horrific incident at Shambhu Girls Hostel had come to light. Now the incident at Perfect Girls Hostel has once again tarnished the image of Bihar”.
“The land of Bihar is the birthplace of Mother Janaki, but it’s not safe for mothers, sisters and daughters. The perpetrators do not have fear the law, police or administration. Such a government, such a system, and such a ruler deserve only condemnation,” she wrote. PTI PKD NN
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