Patna: The special investigation team (SIT) probing the death of a NEET aspirant in Patna has submitted its report to police headquarters after seven days of inquiry, officials said on Friday, as the case continues to raise troubling questions.
The report was handed directly to the state’s police chief and compiles evidence gathered so far, including statements from doctors at Prabhat Memorial Hospital and Medanta Hospital, the student’s family members and classmates, hostel staff, neighbours, drivers and local representatives. Investigators have also appended digital and technical material to the dossier.
According to officials familiar with the probe, the SIT examined CCTV footage tracing the student’s movements from Patna Junction to the Shambhu Girls Hostel, including cameras installed inside and outside the premises. Medical documents from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, doctors’ opinions and treatment records have also been included, alongside statements from female gynaecologists who examined the student at private hospitals.
Investigators reviewed footage from more than 40 CCTV cameras spanning the route from the student’s home in Jehanabad district to the railway station. Her activities at different times were reconstructed and placed in chronological order in the report.
A new line of inquiry has also been flagged. Sources said the student had unexpectedly returned to her parental home on December 27. On the same day, her brother reportedly left the house and did not return while she was there. He is said to have returned only after she left for Patna on January 5. The SIT has documented this sequence as part of its findings.
Timeline under scrutiny
- January 5: Student returned to Patna from Jehanabad
- January 6: Found unconscious at Shambhu Girls Hostel; admitted first to Sahaj Hospital, then to Prabhat Memorial Hospital
- Later January 6: Referred to Medanta Hospital as her condition worsened
- January 11: Died during treatment
In the initial stages, police said that, based on the scene assessment, forensic inputs, CCTV footage and doctors’ statements, sexual assault appeared unlikely. Investigators cited a urine test indicating traces of sleeping pills and said the student’s phone showed internet searches related to suicide and sedatives on December 24 and January 5.
However, the post-mortem conducted at Patna Medical College and Hospital complicated the narrative. The report stated that sexual assault could not be ruled out, noting injuries, signs of force and indications of forced intercourse. Following the post-mortem findings, the student’s father lodged an FIR at the Chitragupta Nagar police station.
Amid growing public pressure, the SIT was constituted on January 16 to re-examine evidence from the hostel, hospitals and the family’s village in Jehanabad. Police sources said clarity is now expected after pending review reports from the forensic laboratory and AIIMS are received, which could prove decisive in determining how the young student died.
