NEET aspirant death case: Family members allege police denying sexual assault

The parents of a NEET aspirant in Bihar, whose death earlier this month triggered a controversy, on Friday alleged the state police was trying to hush up the matter by denying sexual assault and claiming that it was a case of suicide.

The parents of a NEET aspirant in Bihar, whose death earlier this month triggered a controversy, on Friday alleged the state police was trying to hush up the matter by denying sexual assault and claiming that it was a case of suicide. High drama was seen outside the residence here of DGP Vinay Kumar, whom the bereaved parents, hailing from the neighbouring district of Jehanabad, met claiming that they had been ''called'' by the officer. ''Today, our hopes for justice have been dashed. The DGP said he is treating the case as that of suicide. He offered to arrange a meeting with Home minister Samrat Choudhary if we were not satisfied. We are crestfallen'', the deceased's mother told reporters. The bereaved parents were accompanied by some other family members, including an uncle, Subhash, and their lawyer S.K. Pandey. The NEET aspirant, who was preparing for the medical entrance exam, was found unconscious in the room of a private girls' hostel in Patna's Chitragupt Nagar earlier this month. She was staying at the hostel to take coaching for the examination. She died at a private hospital on January 11 after remaining in coma for days. Her family had alleged that she was sexually assaulted, accusing authorities of attempting a cover-up. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is investigating the case. Pandey told reporters later, ''Only the parents were allowed to meet the DGP. They have come out distraught. I am bewildered how, when forensic tests have established that semen drops were found on the girl's underclothes, the DGP feels it was suicide with no sexual crime involved. We shall now move the court as police cannot provide us justice''. When asked whether a demand for a CBI probe will be made, he said, ''Our only demand is justice''. Subhash claimed that after her sister and her husband had met the DGP, ''We were returning home. But I received a call from a Deputy SP madam who asked me to come to a police station''. ''She told me that she had learnt I had an understanding of things, so I should meet her alone. But she, too, repeated what the DGP had said to the girl's parents. The police are leaving us with no choice except to set ourselves on fire'', claimed Subhash. Police officials, however, were tight-lipped on the statements by the bereaved family members. Despite repeated attempts, DGP was not available for his comments on the issue. Police, investigating the case, recently claimed that a forensic report of the student's clothes, which she wore at the time of hospitalisation, detected traces of semen. The latest finding strongly suggests sexual assault and harassment of the NEET aspirant. ''DNA profile from the traces of semen detected in the forensic report is being obtained, and it will be matched with DNA profiles of the arrested persons and other suspects. That is the reason DNA samples are being collected of several persons as part of the investigation into the case,'' said a senior police official on condition of anonymity.

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