Patna: Patna police have said that the family of the NEET student who was murdered in the city did not immediately want to file a police case, opting instead to wait in the hope that the victim would regain consciousness.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, the city’s Senior Superintendent of Police, Kartikeya K. Sharma, said the student was taken from Shambhu Girls’ Hostel to a private hospital on January 6 and later shifted to Prabhat Memorial Hospital for specialised treatment.
According to the SSP, a woman sub-inspector visited Prabhat Memorial Hospital the same day after receiving information about the case and spoke to the family. “The family told the officer they would record a statement and file a complaint once the student regained consciousness,” Sharma said, adding that the officer left her contact number with them.
Police said the family contacted them again on January 9, after which a statement was recorded and a case formally registered.
The remarks come amid sustained criticism of the police handling of the case. Several senior officers were present at the press conference, but journalists’ questions were not taken. The police leadership limited its briefing to outlining steps taken so far by the special investigation team, without detailing the alleged conspiracy or identifying those responsible.
The inspector general of police, Jitendra Rana, confirmed that the case has now been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation. He said further information would be shared by the central agency as the investigation progresses.
The handover to the CBI follows growing public and political pressure for an independent probe into the circumstances surrounding the student’s death and the initial response of the authorities.
