Another teen NEET aspirant’s death comes to light in Patna

Amid protests and a political storm in Bihar over the death of a 17-year-old medical entrance aspirant in Patna, the death of another such student in her hostel room in the state capital has come to light.

The second incident involved a 15-year-old NEET aspirant from Aurangabad district, who, according to police, died by suicide in her hostel on January 6. After her father filed a police complaint accusing some two minors of harassing her, one was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and sent to a reform home, a police officer said.

Her father told The Indian Express that she had been living in Patna for the past six months to prepare for NEET. He said the incident took place just two days after she came back to the hostel on January 4, following a holiday at home. “We spoke to her on January 4, 5 and again on the morning of January 6. She spoke to me at around 9 am that day,” her father said.

He said that CCTV footage from the hostel showed that she was brushing her teeth at 10.52 am on the day, but that at around 1 pm, the hostel operator called and told him that she had died by suicide.

In a written complaint submitted to police, the girl’s father said that after receiving the information, family members rushed to the hostel and later to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), where police had taken her. “When we reached PMCH, her body was lying in the emergency ward, and doctors told us she had been declared dead,” the complaint said.

The father alleged that his daughter had been harassed by two youths living nearby. “She was very disturbed because of the harassment. My daughter was forced to take this step,” he said.

A police officer said that during the investigation, they found that one of the accused, identified as a minor, had been in frequent contact with the girl.

“One juvenile accused was in regular communication with the girl. On the basis of the father’s complaint, the minor was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and has been sent to a reform home,” the officer said. He added that further investigation was underway. The officer also said that the postmortem examination confirmed “death by hanging”.

The incident comes to light at a time when Patna has been witnessing protests following the death of another NEET aspirant earlier this month. A 17-year-old girl was found unconscious in her hostel room and later died during treatment, with a postmortem report saying that “sexual violence could not be ruled out” in the case.

The case led to the arrest of the owner of the hostel building and the formation of a special investigation team.

Himanshu Harsh is a Correspondent with Read More