Forensic report suggests ‘sexual assault’ on Bihar NEET student
2 Patna police officials suspended for dereliction of duty
The police investigating the NEET aspirant death case in Patna on Sunday said forensic report of the student’s clothes has detected traces of semen, a finding that suggests sexual assault of the girl. The police will obtain a DNA profile from the traces of semen detected in the forensic report, officials said.
In another development in the case, the Patna police late Saturday night suspended Hemant Jha, Additional Officer-in-Charge of Kadamkuan police station and the Officer-in-Charge of Chitragupt Nagar police station, Sub-Inspector, Roshni Kumari, on charges of dereliction of duty in the case.
The 18-year-old aspirant and a resident of Jehanabad, who was preparing for the medical entrance exam NEET, was found unconscious in the room of Shambhu Girls Hostel in Patna’s Chitragupt Nagar earlier this month.
She was staying at the private hostel to take coaching for the examination. She died at a private hospital on January 11 after remaining in a 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.
A statement issued by the SSP office said, “The forensic report of the student’s clothes, which she wore at the time of hospitalisation, detected traces of semen in the leggings. These clothes were provided by the family members of the victim on January 10 and the police sent these clothes for forensic examination. Now, SIT will obtain a DNA profile from the semen detected in the scientific report. It will also be matched with the DNA profile of the accused arrested in the and also with the suspects”.
The post-mortem report of the deceased had highlighted injuries to her private parts and nail abrasions on her body.
Her death led to massive protests in Patna, following which the police arrested the owner of the girls’ hostel. The initial findings of the doctors had concluded that the death occurred because she had consumed a large number of sleeping pills, and that she was also suffering from typhoid.
However, the postmortem report of the girl concluded that ‘sexual violence can’t be ruled out’ as a reason behind the incident.
