Amid mounting pressure ahead of the Budget Session beginning on Monday and growing allegations of attempts to hush up the case, the Bihar government has decided to hand over the mysterious death of a medical aspirant to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary, who also holds the home portfolio, said that chief minister Nitish Kumar has urged the Centre to transfer the probe into the NEET aspirant’s death in Patna (Case No. 14/26) to the CBI.
“Chief minister Nitish Kumar has requested the government of India to hand over the investigation of the NEET student’s death case in Patna to the CBI so that the incident can be thoroughly probed in a transparent and impartial manner,” Choudhary said in a post on X. The home department also issued a notification recommending a CBI probe.
However, the victim’s family expressed distrust in the CBI, citing alleged delay and suspected tampering with evidence, and demanded a court-monitored investigation.
“We never demanded a CBI probe. After so many days, the CBI will do the same thing that the SIT has been doing. There should be a probe under the monitoring of the court. I urge the Chief Justice of the Patna high court to take cognisance of the matter,” the victim’s father said.
The decision to recommend a CBI probe — an issue raised by Opposition parties and various organisations from the outset, alleging attempts to shield influential persons—comes even as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe remains inconclusive, 26 days after the girl was found unconscious in her hostel room in Patna.
The issue flared up on Friday after Bihar director general of police Vinay Kumar called the victim’s parents to his residence. The family alleged they were being asked to accept that the girl had committed suicide and that there was no sexual assault.
“They are trying to hush up the case. The girl will not get justice as nobody seems interested. It appears money is being used to shield the accused and suppress the case,” the victim’s mother told mediapersons outside the DGP’s residence.
The family was also asked to meet the deputy chief minister, but they declined. Their counsel said that approaching the court was now the only option left.
The incident sparked widespread outrage, with police initially treating the case as a suicide due to alleged overdose of sleeping pills. However, the post-mortem report established sexual assault, a finding also recorded in the inquest report.
Subsequently, the medical board’s post-mortem report from Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) was sent to AIIMS-Patna for expert opinion. Meanwhile, a forensic examination of the victim’s clothes detected traces of sperm belonging to a male aged between 19 and 22 years, further strengthening the sexual assault angle.
Based on the FSL findings, police collected blood samples of 30 people, including several family members of the victim, for DNA profiling. The DNA reports, AIIMS opinion and complete FSL reports are still awaited.
Despite this, police again attempted to convince the family that it was a case of suicide, the parents alleged. With the family refusing to meet the deputy CM and media scrutiny intensifying, Choudhary held a meeting with Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit, DGP Vinay Kumar and SSP Kartikeya K Sharma to review the case.
The decision to recommend a CBI probe is being seen as a fallout of the growing backlash and an attempt to avert further embarrassment for the government during the Budget Session.