Sneha Debnath, a Delhi University student who was missing for six days, was found dead on Sunday in river Yamuna near a flyover in Delhi. Before she was found dead, Sneha's family said they contacted the cab driver who dropped her off at the Signature Bridge, and frowned upon there being "not a single CCTV camera" there.
As they continued the search to locate Sneha, her loved ones launched a web dashboard where people could post information regarding Sneha's whereabouts.
In one of the posts on this dashboard, Sneha's sister lashed out at the authorities over the CCTVs not being in a working condition on the bridge. "It is unacceptable that in a high-risk area like Signature Bridge, no CCTV cameras are working. My sister was missing, and we have no leads because the only concrete form of evidence, video footage, is simply not available," a part of the post read, as quoted by news agency PTI.
Sneha's family alleged negligence and urged the central and state governments to act on the issue. Another friend of Sneha also alleged that the CCTVs were not working in the DU student's vicinity. "Despite the Signature Bridge being a suicide-prone area, there is not a single CCTV camera that works on the bridge or in nearby areas," she alleged. Some eyewitnesses reportedly said they saw a girl standing on the bridge.
According to a family friend, Sneha Debnath last contacted her family on July 7 at 5:56 am, and told them she was going to meet a friend named Pitunia at the Sarai Rohilla Railway Station. However, when Sneha's family contacted Pitunia after not being able to reach Sneha for three hours, they were told she never met the friend.
{{/usCountry}}According to a family friend, Sneha Debnath last contacted her family on July 7 at 5:56 am, and told them she was going to meet a friend named Pitunia at the Sarai Rohilla Railway Station. However, when Sneha's family contacted Pitunia after not being able to reach Sneha for three hours, they were told she never met the friend.
{{/usCountry}}“When we called again at 8:45 am, her phone was found switched off. We later learned that Pitunia had not met Sneha that morning,” the family said in a statement.
Sneha's family has demanded urgent repairs of all non-functional CCTV cameras at the Signature Bridge and full transparency in the ongoing investigation.
They also complained about poor coordination due to the bridge falling under 4-5 different police stations, and urged a clear designation of jurisdiction over the area.
Sneha Debnath hailed from Tripura, and was a student of Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, Delhi University. She lived in Paryavaran Complex in south Delhi. She was the daughter of Subedar Major (Hon.) Lt Pritish Debnath (retd).
After being missing for six days, Sneha's body was found floating in the river under the Geeta Colony flyover, police said.
(With PTI inputs)