CHANDIGARH: Amid the tension in two Haryana districts over the death of a 19-year-old playschool teacher whose body was found dead in a field, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday announced to hand over the probe into her death to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for “full justice”.
“The state government and police administration are working with full seriousness and transparency to ensure justice for our daughter Manisha from Bhiwani and her family. I myself am continuously monitoring the reports of this case, ” the Chief Minister wrote on X.
“Based on the family’s demand, the Haryana government is going to hand over this case to the CBI for an impartial investigation. Full justice will be ensured in this matter, ” he added.
After the police ruled out foul play based on the autopsy report, district administration representatives held talks with a committee formed by villagers to hold negotiations on behalf of the victim’s family, following which they agreed to cremate the woman’s body on Tuesday.
According to the police, the victim wrote in the suicide note about her parents being upset with her. However, the victim’s family accused the police of delaying the registration of a complaint in the matter.
Residents of the native village of the victim rejected the “suicide” theory of the police and started an indefinite sit-in protesting, seeking a CBI inquiry.
As a preventive measure, the government on Tuesday suspended mobile Internet, bulk SMS and dongle services in Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri districts for 48 hours.
Manisha had gone missing from her school at Singhani village in Bhiwani on August 11. Two days later, her body was found near a canal. The police initially claimed it to be a case of murder and registered a first information report (FIR) under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Manisha’s father, Sanjay, claimed that his daughter could never have taken her own life. “The administration is saying that she ended her life, but I do not believe it. I want justice, ” he said in a video message.