Patna: Taking cognisance of the medical aspirant death case, in which the student died during treatment at a private hospital in Patna last month, the state govt recently requested the CBI to probe the matter. Despite opposition from the deceased’s family, the govt recommended a CBI inquiry, stating that the case should be investigated in a fair and transparent manner. However, the move has drawn attention to the CBI’s track record in Bihar, where several high-profile cases probed by the agency have either remained inconclusive or dragged on for years.The CBI’s investigation into the Muzaffarpur shelter home case, in which dozens of girls were sexually abused, had come in for sharp criticism. Similarly, the probe into the Srijan scam, another major corruption case, has been criticised for its slow pace with the agency yet to bring all the accused to justice.
The Srijan scam, which came to light in 2017, involved the fraudulent diversion of govt funds to a Bhagalpur-based NGO, Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti (SMVSS). The scam, estimated to be worth over Rs 1000 crore, involved siphoning of funds meant for various welfare schemes between 2004 and 2014. Following a major political uproar, the case was handed over to the CBI. The probe is still ongoing, with several arrests made and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) roped in to attach assets of the accused in connection with money laundering.The Muzaffarpur shelter home case, which surfaced in 2018, involved the sexual assault of several minor girls in govt-run shelter homes. The CBI investigated the case after it came to light through a report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). Although the main accused, Brajesh Thakur, and several others were convicted, opposition parties and social activists alleged that the CBI probe had shielded influential figures linked to the case.Another case that drew widespread attention was the kidnapping of a 12-year-old girl, Navruna, from her home in Muzaffarpur in 2012. Acting on directions of the Supreme Court, the CBI took over the investigation. However, even after 13 years, the agency failed to reach a conclusion. Despite suspicion of the involvement of a land mafia, the CBI later attempted to close the case citing lack of evidence, a move strongly opposed by the victim’s family.Similarly, the kidnapping of a 5-year-old girl, Khushi, from a Saraswati Puja pandal in Muzaffarpur in 2021 remains unsolved. The CBI took over the probe after local police failed to find any leads. Despite extensive investigations, including polygraph tests on family members, questioning of suspects and forensic analysis, the child had not been traced even more than five years later.Against this backdrop, the decision to recommend a CBI probe into the suspicious death of the medical has raised concerns. The victim’s family had sought a judicial inquiry, but the state govt went ahead with its recommendation to the CBI, fuelling apprehensions of a prolonged and inconclusive investigation.The 17-year-old student was found unconscious in her hostel room in Patna’s Chitragupt Nagar area on Jan 6 and died on Jan 11 while undergoing treatment at a private hospital. Police claimed that she died by suicide after consuming sleeping pills and denied any sexual assault.The victim’s family, however, alleged that she was sexually assaulted and accused the authorities of attempting to cover up the incident. They claimed that the police were trying to hush up the matter by denying sexual assault and portraying it as a case of suicide. The post-mortem report, however, recorded “injuries and signs of violence on the body” and stated that “sexual violence cannot be ruled out”.
