Patna NEET Aspirant Death Case: Semen Traces Found On Clothes, Police Officers Suspended

Patna: Police investigating the death of a NEET aspirant in Patna on Sunday said that the forensic report has detected traces of semen in the 18-year-old student's clothes, indicating that the girl may have been sexually assaulted. 

According to the officials, the forensic team has found semen traces on the clothes she was wearing when taken to the hospital. 

What Did the Forensic Report Reveal?

Police said a report from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) found male semen on the clothes the student was wearing at the time of her hospitalisation. 

This report comes after the 18-year-old NEET aspirant and a resident of Jehanabad was found unconscious in her room at a girls' hostel in Patna's Chitragupt Nagar and later died in hospital on January 11. 

A statement issued by the SSP office said, "Some clothing of the deceased was provided by her family and seized following legal procedures. These items were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination. During the FSL analysis, traces of human sperm were found on the undergarment allegedly worn at the time of the incident. The FSL is in the process of preparing a DNA profile. This DNA profile will be compared with the DNA of the accused already in custody, as well as with other suspects identified by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) during the ongoing investigation."

The police said that a DNA profile will be developed from the biological sample. That profile will be compared with those of the arrested accused and other suspects.

Why Were Police Officers Suspended?

On Saturday, Patna Police suspended two officers on charges of dereliction of duty in the case: Hemant Jha, additional officer-in-charge of Kadamkuan police station, and Roshni Kumari, officer-in-charge of Chitragupt Nagar police station. 

What Happened to the Student?

The girl, a resident of Jehanabad district, was in Patna for NEET coaching. Early this month, she was found unconscious in the room of Shambhu Girls Hostel in Patna’s Chitragupt Nagar. Later, she died at a private hospital on January 11 after remaining in a coma for days.

Her family has alleged she was sexually assaulted, a claim that sparked protests in Patna. 

The initial findings of the doctors had concluded that the death occurred because she had taken sleeping pills and was suffering from typhoid. But medical findings, including injuries to private parts and nail abrasions noted in the post-mortem report, prompted wider scrutiny of that explanation.