The inquiry into the death of tribal activist Nisha Kumari Bhagat in Ranchi has widened, with the National Commission for Women seeking an action-taken report from the Jharkhand government, police forming a special investigation team and the officer in charge of Pithoria police station being removed from his post.
Bhagat, 38, was found dead at her residence in Pithoria on November 6. Shortly before her death, she had gone live on social media in a video lasting nearly 10 minutes. In the video, she alleged harassment by the state government, local police and land brokers over complaints she had raised about alleged land grabbing.
Bhagat also alleged that an online campaign was being used to damage her reputation because she had spoken against alleged encroachment. Police have said that the exact circumstances surrounding her death have not yet been established. Her body was sent to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences for a post-mortem examination.
The NCW has directed the Jharkhand authorities to provide details of the action taken on the allegations raised by Bhagat. The commission has given the government seven days to submit the report and warned that summons could be issued if the directive is not complied with. The move places the handling of the land-related complaints and the circumstances preceding Bhagat’s death under formal scrutiny.
Rural superintendent of police Gaurav Goswami said a special investigation team had been constituted to investigate the case. The team is headed by deputy superintendent of police Amar Pandey. The police station officer in charge, Satish Kumar Pandey, was removed from the post and attached to the police lines on administrative grounds.
An FIR was registered after a complaint was lodged by Bhagat’s father. Jyotsana Kerketta and Ajay Tirkey have been named as accused and booked under Sections 108 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, according to the report. The registration of the FIR marks the formal criminal investigation, while the police inquiry into the exact circumstances of the death remains underway.
The case has also become a point of public and political mobilisation in Ranchi. The BJP and tribal organisations have demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe. The BJP’s Scheduled Tribes Morcha held a torchlight procession in Ranchi and has called for a South Chotanagpur bandh on November 18.
The case brings together two institutional questions: how complaints involving alleged land grabbing are handled, and how authorities respond when a complainant publicly alleges harassment before dying. The NCW’s requested report and the SIT investigation are expected to establish what action was taken on Bhagat’s complaints and what evidence emerges about the events leading to her death.
