Patna: A 10-minute 54-second CCTV footage from Shambhu Girls’ Hostel has raised serious questions about the police and SIT’s version of events in the death of a NEET aspirant. While the footage shows how the unconscious student was taken out of her room, what it reveals between 3:50 pm and 4:01 pm on January 6 appears to contradict the initial police timeline at several points.
According to the police’s first statement, the student was taken to hospital around 2 pm. However, the CCTV footage clearly shows activity beginning outside her room at 3:50 pm, the door opening at 3:58:55 pm, and the student being carried out at around 4:01 pm. This creates a gap of nearly two hours between the official claim and the visual evidence.
Legal experts say this is not a minor discrepancy but one that affects the entire medical and legal process. If the student was still inside the hostel until 4 pm, the claim that she reached hospital at 2 pm cannot stand. The key question now is why the police did not release an official timeline based on CCTV evidence from the very beginning.
Door Not Broken, Opened from Above: Footage Contradicts Police Claim
Police earlier said the door of the student’s cabin was broken to rescue her. However, the CCTV footage shows a girl climbing onto a table and opening the latch from above by inserting her hand. This does not match the claim of forced entry.
Experts point out that this raises a forensic question: was the door locked from inside or outside, and could someone else have accessed the room earlier knowing the latch could be operated from above? No forensic report on the lock mechanism, latch height or handle position has been publicly cited so far.
Student Seen Unconscious, Yet Police Not Called Immediately
The footage shows the student being carried out in an unconscious state. In such situations, standard hostel protocol is to inform the police and call an ambulance immediately. However, there is no visible evidence of such a step being taken first.
This raises questions about who decided to take private action instead of alerting the authorities and whether anyone prevented an immediate police call. Experts say the delay may have affected both medical response and the preservation of the crime scene.
Crime Scene Not Sealed Despite Multiple Entries
The hostel room effectively became a crime scene the moment the door was opened. CCTV shows several students and others entering and exiting the room, bringing water, blankets and moving around freely.
Despite this, the room was reportedly not sealed for three days. As per standard procedure, access should have been restricted, entry logs maintained and evidence preserved. The delay has raised concerns over possible contamination of the scene.
Unclear Roles of Individuals in the Footage
The footage shows several people – first students, then women, and later a man. Some appear to give directions while others remain silent. However, investigators have not clearly defined who took key decisions: who ordered the door to be opened, who decided to carry the student out, and who directed the next steps.
One of the most critical questions is about the man seen carrying the student. On what basis did he initially say the girl might be sleeping, despite her being unconscious?
Why Full CCTV Footage Has Not Been Released
So far, only the CCTV footage after 3:50 pm has been made public. What happened before that remains unknown. The family and legal experts are questioning why the entire CCTV sequence—from the moment the student entered the room—has not been released.
Given the sensitivity of the case, transparency is being seen as essential to restoring trust. Selective disclosure of footage raises concerns that key facts may still be missing from the public narrative.
The student was a resident of Shambhu Girls’ Hostel, located in a residential area of the city. As investigations continue, the CCTV footage has become central to understanding what really happened—and whether early police statements were inaccurate, premature or based on incomplete information.
