CID-CB to probe death of 19-year-old nursing student in Rajasthan’s Nagaur

The investigation of the suspicious death of 19-year-old student in Rajasthan’s Nagaur district has been transferred to criminal investigation department-crime branch (CID-CB).

Parliamentary affair minister Shanti Dhariwal informed the Rajasthan assembly that the Nagaur incident will be probed by CID-CB, and an ADGP rank official will monitor the investigation.

Amid allegations of favouring the accused, five policemen of Kotwali police station were put on awaited posting orders on Monday by Ajmer range inspector general of police (IGP) Sanjib Kumar Narzary.

“Five policemen including station house officer of Kotwali police station Mukut Bihari Meena has been put on APO. The administrative enquiry will be done by Nagaur circle DSP Subhash Chandra,” said Narzary.

He said a special team has constituted to investigate this case. “The post-mortem of the victim would be conducted be done by a medical board in district government hospital of Jodhpur. The accused have been called to police station for questioning and on the basis of their answers further action would be taken,” the police officer added.

On Friday, body of the 19-year-old girl was found hanging in a hostel room of Sarvodaya College of Nursing. Family members alleged that the victim was murdered and then hanged. They demanded arrest of the college owner Pradeep Sankhla, his nephew Dharmendra Sankhla and other accused. Police were treating the case as a suicide, but later registered an FIR against the college owner under IPC sections pertaining to murder.

When the administration didn’t pay heed to their demands, thousands of people including chief of Rahstriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) and member of parliament from Nagaur Hanuman Beniwal, parents and family members of victim staged a sit-in for more than 70 hours outside JLN Hospital where the body of the girl was kept. Some protestors even blocked highways.

The matter was raised in the assembly by leader of opposition Gulabchand Kataria after which the speaker ordered the government to table a report in House.

“I thank the speaker for giving time for leader of opposition to speak and asking the government to present a factual report before assembly,” said Beniwal.

Family members accused Pradeep Sankhla, director of the college and his nephew Dharmendra of murdering the girl. The father said, “On Friday evening, Dharmendra called my elder daughter and said the girl (deceased) wants to talk to her mother. But when my wife talked some other girl was speaking. It was not her voice. Around 10pm, Dharmendra called from other number and said your daughter is trying to commit suicide and when we said we are coming, he said it’s too late come tomorrow.”

Hours later the parents came to know that their daughter had committed suicide. But instead of informing the police, Dharmendra took the body to the hospital and then informed police. “When I saw my daughter’s body her eyes were open, her clothes were torn which indicates that something wrong happened with her. The accused has not been arrested yet,” the father said.

When the accused were contacted to get their reaction, their phone numbers were switched off.