PATNA: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday recommended a CBI probe into the death of a NEET aspirant in the Bihar capital.The chief minister wrote to the Centre seeking a central investigation into the case, which has triggered widespread protests and allegations of police inaction.The student died during treatment after allegedly consuming sleeping pills at a private hostel in Patna on January 11. While police initially claimed there was no evidence of foul play, the post-mortem report later confirmed injury marks and sexual assault.On Friday, female students of Patna University took out a protest march demanding justice for the victim. The ‘Beti Bachao Nyay March’ was taken out from Magadh Mahila College to Kargil Chowk, where students staged a demonstration and demanded a CBI inquiry into the case.Earlier in the day, the victim’s family met Bihar DGP Vinay Kumar and alleged that police officials were pressuring them to accept the death as a case of suicide and deny allegations of rape. The family said they had lost confidence in the state police and demanded a CBI probe. A public interest litigation was also filed in the Patna High Court seeking a court-monitored investigation.The victim’s mother alleged that the police were attempting to suppress the case and claimed that bribes had been accepted by those involved. The victim’s brother said officials from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) asked the family to accept that the student died by suicide.Deputy chief minister and Home Minister Samrat Choudhary later summoned DGP Vinay Kumar and Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit to review the investigation. The SIT was directed to expedite the probe and ensure DNA matching of the accused with samples recovered from the victim’s clothes.The SIT has so far collected DNA samples from 22 people, including the hostel owner and staff. Forensic reports confirmed the presence of human sperm on the victim’s undergarments, and DNA profiling is currently underway. Several suspects, including hostel owner Manish Ranjan, have been questioned as the investigation continues.
