Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday recommended a CBI probe into the suspicious death of a NEET aspirant at a girls’ hostel in Patna. For over three weeks, the Bihar Police had been facing allegations of negligence and a cover-up in the case, prompting the government to take this significant decision.
Confirming the move, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary wrote on the social media platform X:
“Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, has requested the Government of India to have the CBI investigate the NEET student’s murder case in Patna (Case No. 14/26). It must be ensured that the incident is uncovered in a transparent and just manner.”
Since the incident came to light, widespread anger has been seen across the state. Student organisations, social activists, and political parties have been demanding a fair investigation and repeatedly calling for a CBI probe.
On Friday, the victim’s family alleged that the local police were downplaying the seriousness of the case and attempting to protect certain influential individuals. Later, they met Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and demanded a high-level investigation.
Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, claimed that by handing the case over to the CBI, the Bihar government had once again proved that the state’s administrative system was corrupt, incompetent, inefficient, and unprofessional, and incapable of solving “even a rape-and-murder case.”
He added, “In many cases like the Navruna case, the CBI has failed to arrest the accused even after 12-13 years and has stopped investigations. This case will meet the same fate.”
CPI (ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said that widespread public movements led by AISA, students, women, and the victim’s family had forced the Bihar government to bow to public pressure and recommend a CBI investigation into what he described as the “horrific rape-and-murder case of the NEET student.”
Calling it a victory of people’s struggles, he said the fight was not yet over.
“Merely recommending a CBI investigation is not enough. The probe must be conducted under the direct supervision and monitoring of a sitting Supreme Court judge to ensure a fair, independent, and credible investigation,” he said.
Jan Suraaj Party leader and former Additional Director General of Police (Himachal), JP Singh, said that handing over the case to the CBI after such a long delay raises serious questions about the functioning of the state administration.