Patna: A 23-year-old nursing student from West Bengal was found hanging in her hostel room in Kishanganj district on Wednesday. Her family has alleged that she was murdered and that her body was subsequently hanged to make the death appear to be a case of suicide.The deceased, identified as Tanjali, was a resident of Gunjarhia in West Bengal and had been staying at the hostel of a private nursing institute in Kishanganj for the past six months while pursuing her studies. Police recovered the body from her room and sent it for post-mortem.According to family members, Tanjali’s friend Gulfa received a call from Rahul, a fellow student of the institute, at around 2.28am. Rahul allegedly told her that Tanjali was not answering calls and asked her to check on her. When Gulfa reached the room, she found the door locked from inside. After the room was opened, Tanjali was found hanging, following which the family was informed that she had died by suicide.However, the family has questioned the sequence of events and alleged foul play. Tanjali’s maternal uncle, Faiyaz Alam, said the family was suspicious of Rahul and the hostel management. “How did Rahul know something was wrong before anyone else? We also have concerns over the lack of security arrangements in the hostel,” he said.Police said preliminary inquiry revealed that Tanjali and Rahul had become close during their training at the institute and were in a relationship for the past two months. Investigators are also examining details of a recent trip they made to West Bengal.Adding another dimension to the case, Tanjali had been engaged to Raja Bul for the past year. Her fiancé claimed they had spoken the previous night and that she was planning to travel to Raiganj the next morning to collect a certificate.Family members insisted that the death did not appear to be a case of suicide, citing circumstances at the scene. They have demanded a thorough probe and action against the hostel management.Town SHO Mukesh Kumar said an unnatural death (UD) case has been registered. “The post-mortem is being conducted under a magistrate’s supervision with videography, as requested by the family. Police are questioning Rahul and hostel staff and examining call records and other evidence. No arrests have been made so far,” he said.
