Opposition raises law and order NEET aspirant’s death as Budget session of Bihar House nears

The NEET aspirant’s mysterious death hints of ‘sexual assault’ in her autopsy report has brought ‘deteriorating law and order’ back to the forefront of Bihar political discourse

The “deteriorating law and order” was one of the main planks of the Opposition as it challenged the incumbent NDA government in the 2025 assembly elections, but it didn’t prevent the landslide for the Nitish-led coalition. However, within two months, the rising crimes in Bihar has again warmed up the Opposition ahead of the Budget session starting February 2.

Members of Bihar Mahila Samaj, AIDWA and AIPWA demonstrate in protest against death of a NEET aspirant after an alleged sexual assault in a private hostel in Patna. (Santosh Kumar/HT)

The latest salvo of Opposition has come after the state capital witnessed mysterious death of a 17-year-old NEET aspirant who, as per autopsy report and her family’s allegations, was killed by poisoning after a brutal sexual assault. As the outcry soared, the probe was handed over to the SIT headed by the Patna Central Range Inspector General (IG) Jitendra Rana.

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, on Sunday hit out at the Nitish government to register his reaction over the tragic incident. “Law and order under the Nitish government has gone for a toss, as criminals are ruling the roost. The double engine NDA government is a blend of corrupt system and mechanisation, and it is providing a safe haven to corrupt, exploiters, rapists and anti-socials. The government was formed by purchasing votes and the corrupt and criminals are being patronised by this government,” he said, in a post on social media.

Tejashwi, who regularly released crime bulletins in the past, cited several crime incidents of the recent past involving even children and widows. “The Nitish government is totally insensitive and inhuman. When people protest against rising crime, the incompetent police resort to lathicharge,” he added.

There have also been some protests in Patna over the death of NEET aspirant and as the “details” of an alleged sexual assault hinted in the autopsy report were available in public domain, the social media was abuzz about security of young girls residing in private hostels in the state.

The girl’s family members, while talking to HT on Saturday, accused the Patna police of covering up her “murder” in collusion with hostel owner and private hospital doctors who treated her and declared her death a result of “sleeping pills overdose”.

When such reports emerged, Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh hit the streets to raise the girl’s death and “attempts of cover up”. But, despite the police probe speeding up, the real reason for the girl’s death remains a riddle.

Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor travelled to Jehanabad, where the girl hailed from, to meet her family and promised that the issue would be raised at the highest level. Later, he also met an SSP involved in the investigation. This is the first major public appearance of Kishor after the dismal show in the Bihar elections.

Purnea MP Pappu Yadav, who fervently raises public issues, has been vocal on the medical aspirant’s death and he has written to home minister Amit Shah, detailing the tragic turn of events and attempts to hush up the case, demanding a CBI probe.

“The death of the girl raises question mark over the safety of girls. The case has freshened up the memory of horrific Muzaffarpur shelter home case involving sexual exploitation of minor girls under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, but the police earlier rejected the theory and tried to give it suicide angle. Girls’ hostel owners are also running an organised sexual exploitation racket,” he wrote.

In another incident of atrocities against women, a 19-year-old newly married woman was killed and her body was dumped at the gate of her parent’s house in Saran allegedly over “dowry demands of in-laws not being met.”

There has been no breakthrough in both the cases. But as they are turning into political fuel for the Opposition, the ruling parties are promising justice in such cases at the earliest. JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said that the police would nab the culprits to ensure justice to the victims.

“The hands of the law are big and nobody will be spared,” he said.

Now, while the Bihar government’s top brass is accompanying chief minister Nitish Kumar on the “Samriddhi Yatra” with a promise to propel the state into next stage of development, the Opposition is gearing up to keep the heat on the government till the Budget Session of the House.

Senior BJP leader and minister Dilip Jaiswal, however, said that the Opposition was “illusionary” if it thinks that it can hype “any incident happening in a state with 14-crore population”.

“Bihar is thinking of 20 years ahead, and here the Opposition leaders like Pappu Yadav and others are dreaming that they can politicise any incident in the state. They should stop politicising such incidents,” he told mediapersons on Sunday.