Bihar NEET aspirant’s death: Family says she was home just days earlier, eager to resume preparations for test

“She had cleared NEET in her very first attempt last year and was getting admission in BDS, but she really wanted to become a doctor. She missed an MBBS seat by just two marks and decided to take a drop year to prepare again,” her uncle told The Indian Express.

She had moved to Patna in late 2024 to prepare for NEET and had been staying in a hostel there since then. During the end-of-year festive season, her mother visited her and brought homemade food. “Since it was the festive season and the New Year was approaching, her mother insisted that she come home, and they travelled to Jehanabad on December 26,” the uncle said.

After spending a few days at home, she wanted to return to Patna. “She was extremely focused on her studies and told her mother on January 4 that she wanted to resume her preparations and go back,” her uncle said.

On January 5, her parents accompanied her to Jehanabad Court railway station, from where she boarded a train to Patna at around 1 pm. She reached Patna Junction railway station by 3 pm and later spoke to her father around 9 pm.

Her uncle said, “She told him she had reached the hostel safely and that she met another girl on the way.” However, a day later, she was found unconscious in her hostel room.

Her family believes that after she got to the hostel from the railway station, she did not step out. “If she had gone out, there would have been an entry in the hostel register. There is none,” the uncle said.

According to police, the girl was initially taken to a local clinic and then moved to a private hospital. Her family later moved her to another hospital when her condition deteriorated. She died while undergoing treatment on January 11.

‘She did not look depressed’

Following her death, Patna City SP (East) Parichay Kumar had said that a private gynaecologist who examined her on the first day of hospitalisation had found no evidence of sexual assault. He had also said CCTV footage from the hostel did not indicate foul play and that the girl’s urine report showed consumption of sleeping pills. Police had also claimed that pills were recovered from her room.

The family, however, rejected these claims. “Police are saying she overdosed on sleeping pills. She wasn’t even 18! She had no medical history and was not prescribed any medication. How could a minor obtain so many sleeping pills without a prescription?” her uncle asked.

Her aunt said, “They are claiming she was depressed. She had cracked NEET earlier and was confident of securing an MBBS seat this time. She regularly sent photos with the family during her recent trip home. She did not look depressed at all.”

The family also raised questions about the hostel’s account of the incident. Hostel staff allegedly told them that the room door had to be broken open. “When I reached the hostel, there were no signs of forced entry. They said the door had already been repaired. If so, why was there such a hurry to fix it? The room was cleaned. How could one do so in the middle of an investigation?” another uncle asked.

The postmortem report that came on Thursday said “sexual violence cannot be ruled out”. The family said they went to the police station around 10 am on Thursday to collect the report, but received it only around 8 pm.

An official police note issued on Thursday acknowledged the change in medical opinion following the postmortem findings. Police said that in view of the seriousness of the case, the owner of the hostel building, Manish Kumar Ranjan, has been arrested and produced before a court. Further legal action, police said, would depend on evidence emerging during the investigation.

In an FIR lodged on January 9, the girl’s father had expressed suspicion of sexual assault, citing injury marks on her body and head.

The family on Friday further accused the hostel operator and owner of attempting to portray the incident as a suicide and alleged that “an offer of money was made to prevent the matter from being pursued”.

She was the middle child in her family. Her father is a lower-level government employee. “There were no problems at home. Why would she take her own life?” her aunt asked, adding, “Her father always supported her. She was academically strong from the beginning.”

The family said the girl briefly regained consciousness on January 8. “She was on a ventilator and could not speak, but when she saw her mother, tears rolled down her eyes,” the aunt said. “When her mother asked if anything wrong had been done to her, she had nodded.”

Protest, political row

After her death, her family and their supporters staged a protest in Patna, bringing her body to the area. Police later dispersed the protesters using force and registered a separate case in connection with the protest.

Expressing a lack of faith in the local police, the family has demanded a CBI probe.

Meanwhile, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Sunday said those involved in her death would not be spared. “Police have already constituted a special investigation team to probe the incident. The DGP himself is monitoring the investigation. Those involved in her death will not be spared,” he told reporters.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav criticised the state government, accusing the Nitish Kumar dispensation of being “insensitive” and of “patronising criminals”. Independent Lok Sabha MP from Purnea, Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, also demanded a CBI probe and said he had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in this regard.