“Some are saying that my daughter consumed poison, others are saying that she had taken sleeping pills, and some are calling it a suicide. If my daughter died due to stress, then how did marks appear on her body?”
Saying this, the mother of the victim in the case of suspicious death in a Patna hostel, starts crying.
The death of a 17-year-old NEET candidate living at the Shambhu Girls Hostel in Patna under suspicious circumstances has sparked political and social turmoil in Bihar. The student, a resident of Jehanabad, returned to the hostel on January 5th. The next day, she was found unconscious in her room. She was first admitted to Prabhat Memorial Hospital and later to another private hospital, where she died on January 10th. The family claims something wrong has happened. They traveled from Bihar to Delhi seeking justice. They protested at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, attempting to make their voices heard by the government and the courts. The Quint spoke with the victim's family to understand the full story.
The student's mother says she noticed bruises on her daughter's body while she was hospitalised. She claims that upon regaining consciousness, the student gestured to her that something was wrong.
The family alleges that from the very beginning the police were pushing the theory of suicide or drug overdose and they were pressured to accept it.
Under pressure from the family and public opposition, the case has now been handed over to the CBI. However, before the CBI took over the case, the Patna Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) held its first press conference. The Police said that a pack of sleeping pills was recovered from the student's room. During the investigation, it was also revealed that the student had searched the internet for the drug in question.
Citing the hospital report, the police is saying that dangerous quantities of medicines were found in the girl's body.
According to SDPO Secretariat Anu Kumari, the victim was admitted to Prabhat Memorial Hospital from 6 to 10 January. The hospital's discharge report listed opioid and drug poisoning, severe head injuries, and septic shock. Urine test results were positive for opiates and benzodiazepines.
Anu Kumari further stated that the victim was taken to Prabhat Memorial Hospital and then to Medanta Hospital, where she died. Medanta's death summary also lists shock and drug poisoning as the cause of death.
Following the death, a post-mortem examination was conducted under the supervision of a medical board. The report did not rule out the possibility of sexual assault.
FSL tests have found semen stains on one of the victim's undergarments. DNA testing is being conducted and with the permission of the court, DNA samples of some suspects are also being taken.Anu Kumari, SDPO Secretariat
People from the government, SIT and CID are harassing us again and again. Our family members are also being treated like criminals.Student's father
He further said, "As far as pressure on the police is concerned, we feel that big people are involved in this case. This is being done to protect them, so that the case can be suppressed."
The family questions how the injuries appeared on the body if it was merely a case of drug overdose. They also question how police officials made the details of the poisoning or drug allegations public before the post-mortem report was released. Furthermore, questions are being raised about the alleged diary and CCTV footage being leaked to the media.
The victim’s mother alleged that both the police and the doctors kept repeating the same narrative. She questioned, "If the death was caused by consuming sleeping pills, then how did the rape occur and how did the scratches appear on the body?"
The question is, who leaked the CCTV footage from the girls' hostel, the girl's alleged diary, and case details to the media, even as the police investigation was underway? There are many unanswered questions, the answers to which must be found, because even in 2026, women aren’t safe in their homes, hostels, and public places.