In his complaint, the father had alleged that his son — a final year student of BA LLB — was being kept by someone at “an undisclosed location in a clandestine manner”. The FIR had no mention of the woman. Six days after he went missing with his batchmate, the body of a fifth-year student at Rajiv Gandhi National Law University was recovered recovered from Khanuari head-works of the Bhakra Canal in Patiala Sunday. The body of his batchmate, a woman from Kolkata, was recovered from the same place on Friday. The duo had gone missing from Patiala on May 2 afternoon. A CCTV footage showed them last walking near Bhakra Main Canal in Bhakra Enclave colony of the district.
Earlier, an FIR was registered on the complaint of the youth’s father, who is posted as an Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner. In his complaint, the father had alleged that his son — a final year student of BA LLB — was being kept by someone at “an undisclosed location in a clandestine manner”. The FIR had no mention of the woman.
Ankurdeep Singh, the Station House Officer at Pasiana police station where the case was registered said that the youth’s body was identified by his father and handed over to the family after a post-mortem was conducted. The SHO added that as per the post-mortem report, there were no physical injuries found on the duo. He said further investigations were on in the case.
Sources in the police department said though they were investigating the case from different angles, but prima facie there does not appear any “foul play”. It is suspected that that the duo might have fallen in the canal “accidentally”. The official added that preliminary findings were based on “the movement of the duo, examination of the car they travelled in, and the visuals of the CCTV footage”.
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Another source, however, said that “police were also probing the probability of a suicide pact” as the duo went to the canal “in broad day light” and “had there been any accidental slip, they might have shouted for help and someone might have heard that and raised an alarm”.
There was a farewell function for final students art the RGNLU on April 29. The youth’s father had earlier said his wife had called their son on May 1 who said that he will back home on May 2.
The elder sister of the woman on Wednesday had told The Indian Express over phone that her sister was “in a relationship with her batchmate who too is missing with her”. She had alleged that “the RGNLU didn’t inform them about her sister going missing”.
She had ruled out any “suicide pact” by the duo.
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