A First Year student of BDS at the Dental College in the Vananchal of Farthiya (Garhwa), Sonali Kumari was killed and it was only after a whole week passed that the SP was forced to publicly acknowledge the incident. The post-mortem report did not show evidence of suicide and no marks of hanging could be found on the neck, whereas the victim’s friends, when they returned from class on 1 February, found her hanging with a dupatta round her neck. The killers did not get an opportunity to tamper with the post-mortem report due to the alertness of organizations like AISA, RYA, AIPWA and Insaf Manch.
As the circumstances of the death came under suspicion, a protest march on 14 February organised to highlight the conspiracy of murder. A memorandum was submitted to the Deputy Commissioner with the demand that the Chief Warden of the hostel should be arrested and tried under Section 302, and a CBI inquiry should be instituted to probe into the matter. It is to be noted that the warden Meena Singh encourages ragging, embezzles students’ fees and other facilities and if the students protest they are either failed in the examinations or thrown out of the college or the hostel. Meena Singh has a good rapport with the BDC College Principal Dinesh Singh who has connections in high places.
With continuing protests for a week, the SP admitted that Sonali Kumari was murdered, and this was not a case of suicide. The police is proposing a DGP level enquiry but the CPI(ML) is continuing the agitation to press for a CBI enquiry.
