A 22-year-old Gauhati University student was found unconscious at a homestay on the outskirts of Guwahati in Assam and later declared dead at a hospital, leading to protests and claims that the case involved "love jihad".
The student, identified as Nimisha Thakuria, was a sociology student at the university. She was found at a homestay near Azara on Friday.
Her father has alleged that Thakuria called her mother hours before her death and said she was being assaulted.
“At around 2 am, her mother received a call. Nimisha was telling her mother, ‘Maa, they are beating me. They are kicking me in my chest.’ Within seconds, her phone was switched off. We heard two voices in the background during the call,” her father said, according to Northeast Live.
He said his daughter had left home after telling the family that she was going out to meet friends.
According to her father, Thakuria had asked him for ₹2,000 before leaving home. He gave her ₹1,000 after she told him she needed money for petrol and food.
“Before leaving, she told me that if she got late, she would stay with her friends, and if she returned early, she would come back home,” he said.
Police have taken a man identified as Ashik Ali into custody and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Thakuria's death.
Bolin Deori, DCP (West), said Ali had claimed that Thakuria hanged herself from a ceiling fan. Police, however, are investigating whether his account is true.
“We caught the accused person, and he is now in police custody, and the investigation is underway. According to Ashik Ali, she hanged herself from a ceiling fan, and we will investigate whether it is true or false,” Deori said, according to news agency ANI.
The police officer also said injury marks had been found on Thakuria's body. Media reports similarly said there were injury marks on the deceased student's body.
Thakuria's death has also sparked protests, and demonstrators have alleged that it was a case of "love jihad", according to media reports.
The allegation comes as police investigate how the student died, including Ali's claim that she had hanged herself and the injury marks found on her body.
