The Bihar government has recommended a CBI probe into the recent death of a female NEET aspirant in Patna, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said on Saturday.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Bihar police is investigating the case.
The NEET aspirant, from Jehanabad, was found unconscious in Shambhu Girls' hostel in Patna's Chitragupt Nagar earlier this month. She died at a private hospital on January 11 after several days in a coma. Her family alleged that she was sexually assaulted and accused authorities of attempting a cover-up.
"Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Jee has urged the Government of India to hand over the investigation of the NEET student's murder case in Patna (Case No- 14/26) to the CBI. The incident must be thoroughly uncovered in a transparent and just manner," Choudhary said in a post on X.
Choudhary, who also holds the home portfolio, said the state home department issued a notification recommending a CBI probe under the provisions of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, which governs the functioning of the agency.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) of the central government will issue a notification, a mandatory step to initiate a CBI investigation in a state-related case. As per rules, prior approval from both the state and the DoPT is required for the agency to probe a crime outside its usual jurisdiction, as law and order is a state subject.
On Saturday, the aspirant’s parents alleged that the state police were trying to hush up the matter by denying sexual assault and claiming it was a case of suicide.
Her post-mortem report did not exclude the possibility of sexual violence, contradicting the police’s initial claim that medical reports and CCTV footage had ruled out assault. One person, an employee of her hostel, has been arrested in connection with the case.
"The CBI may now register a separate case on the basis of the FIR registered by Patna Police. The agency sleuths will collect all evidence obtained by the state police and will also record the statements of suspects, the arrested person, hospital staff, family members and policemen, who had initially investigated the case and concluded it a case of suicide," according to an official.