NEET aspirant death: Prashant Kishor questions police probe, seeks re-investigation

PATNA: Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Friday met the family of a NEET aspirant, who died in Patna earlier this week, and demanded a re-investigation into the death case. After meeting the family of the 18-year-old woman, Kishor raised questions about the police investigation into the case.

"The police had initially made haste in declaring the matter a case of suicide. Now, they have done an about turn and are saying that sexual assault could not be ruled out. We demand that the case must be re-investigated so that the family get the justice," he told reporters.

"Role of police officers and others who concluded it a case of suicide should also be investigated, and strict action must be taken against them," he added. The student, who was preparing for the medical entrance exam NEET, was found unconscious in the room of her hostel in Patna's Chitragupt Nagar earlier this month.

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Allegations of cover-up fuel protests

She was staying at the private hostel to take coaching for the examination. She died at a private hospital on January 11 after remaining in a coma for days. Her family had alleged that she was sexually assaulted, accusing authorities of attempting a cover-up. Her death led to massive protests in Patna, following which the police arrested the owner of the girls' hostel.

The post-mortem report concluded that the death occurred because she had consumed a large number of sleeping pills, and that she was also suffering from typhoid. After the post-mortem report went viral on social media, the protests escalated. Kishor claimed the girl's family had told him that the investigating officer had asked them to strike a deal and "let go of the matter".

"This is highly objectionable. I will help them meet senior officers and ensure that the culprits are brought to book," he said. Kishor, who has been away from the spotlight following the drubbing in the Bihar elections in November, declined to take questions from journalists on the ED searches at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC, which he co-founded.

Meanwhile, Patna SSP Kartikeya Sharma said the scope of the investigation has been widened. "There are, of course, certain contradictions in the post-mortem report and the earlier medical reports of the deceased. All documents have been referred to the Patna-AIIMS for an expert opinion. The investigation is being conducted on the basis of the latest post-mortem report only. All those involved in the case will be arrested very soon," he said.