Patna: A special investigation team (SIT) probing the death of a NEET aspirant in Patna has submitted its findings to Bihar’s director general of police after a seven-day inquiry, officials said on Thursday. The report, submitted directly to police headquarters, compiles witness statements, digital evidence and medical records gathered from multiple locations linked to the case.
The student, who was staying at Shambhu Girls’ Hostel in Patna, was found unconscious on January 6 and died five days later while undergoing treatment at a private hospital. Her death has sparked public scrutiny and raised questions over the circumstances leading up to her hospitalisation.
According to officials familiar with the investigation, the SIT recorded statements from doctors at Prabhat Memorial Hospital and Medanta Hospital, members of the student’s family, classmates, hostel staff, neighbours, local representatives from her village in Jehanabad district, and drivers who had transported her in the days preceding the incident. Statements from female gynaecologists involved in her treatment were also included.
The report draws on extensive digital and technical evidence. Investigators examined CCTV footage tracking the student’s movements from Patna Junction to the hostel, as well as cameras installed inside and outside the hostel premises. Medical documents from AIIMS, along with doctors’ opinions and treatment records from various hospitals, were also submitted as part of the findings.
Police sources said the SIT also analysed footage from more than 40 CCTV cameras installed along the route from the student’s home in Jehanabad to the local railway station. This footage, which documents her movements at different times, has been arranged chronologically in the report.
One aspect examined by investigators relates to the student’s family movements in the weeks before her death. According to sources, the student returned to her parental home on December 27, accompanied by her parents. 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 the student left for Patna on January 5. Investigators have included this sequence of events in their report, though officials declined to comment on its significance.
A timeline outlined in the investigation states that the student returned to Patna on January 5. She was found unconscious at the hostel the following day and was initially taken to Sahaj Hospital, before being shifted to Prabhat Memorial Hospital. As her condition deteriorated, she was referred to Medanta Hospital, where she died on January 11.
In the early stages of the investigation, police said there was no evidence of sexual assault, citing findings from the crime scene, forensic science laboratory (FSL) inputs, CCTV footage and preliminary medical opinions. Investigators also noted that urine samples indicated the presence of sedatives, and that the student’s mobile phone search history showed queries related to sleeping pills and suicide on December 24 and January 5.
However, the case took a turn following the post-mortem examination conducted at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH). The autopsy report stated that the possibility of sexual assault could not be ruled out and noted injuries suggestive of force. Following the report, the student’s father lodged a first information report (FIR) at Chitragupta Nagar police station.
Amid mounting pressure and public concern, the Bihar police constituted the SIT on January 16 to conduct a comprehensive inquiry. The team subsequently collected evidence from the hostel, hospitals and the student’s village in Jehanabad.
Police officials said further details would be made public after the receipt of pending forensic and medical review reports from the FSL and AIIMS.
