The Nisha Bhagat CBI probe has been recommended by Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren after the death of the tribal activist triggered political demands for an impartial investigation into allegations involving land mafias, government officials and police inaction.
Soren said in a post on X that the Central Bureau of Investigation would investigate the case and that orders had been issued. Bhagat died on November 6 in an incident reported as an alleged suicide, shortly after a social media broadcast in which she expressed distress and named local land mafias, government officials and alleged police inaction as reasons for her despair.
The case has brought the functioning of local land and policing institutions under scrutiny. Bhagat had reportedly accused the station house officer of Pithoria police station of ignoring earlier written complaints. The police administration acknowledged that she had made the allegation, but said officials were examining the matter before assigning formal responsibility.
Police have registered an unnatural death case. A scientific examination of the scene was conducted by the Forensic Science Laboratory, while a medical board carried out the post-mortem examination at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi.
Gaurav Goswami, superintendent of police, Rural Ranchi, said the investigation was examining every point raised by Bhagat. He said it would be inappropriate to comment on specific details before the inquiry was completed and that the findings would be shared after the investigation concluded.
The demand for a central investigation had become a political issue in Jharkhand. The Bharatiya Janata Party and several activists called for a CBI probe, while leaders across political parties expressed condolences following Bhagat’s death.
Union minister Giriraj Singh demanded a CBI investigation on November 7, describing Bhagat as a voice who worked for the protection of tribal land, culture and women’s safety. He alleged that the state government had failed to protect her and said an impartial investigation was necessary. His remarks also targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Hemant Soren government.
Minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth separately sought the immediate arrest of administrative personnel named by Bhagat. He described the incident as a law-and-order failure and questioned the digital monitoring capabilities of state agencies, including the Crime Investigation Department. Seth also called for a CBI probe.
The case now moves from the state police’s unnatural death investigation towards a central investigation, following the chief minister’s recommendation. The allegations made by Bhagat, the police response to her earlier complaints and the findings of the forensic and post-mortem examinations are among the matters that investigators will have to examine.
