No foul play suspected yet in Dimasa woman’s death, says Uttarakhand police

Guwahati, June 12: As calls for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the "mysterious" death of 26-year-old Rosmita Hojai grow louder in state, Uttarakhand Police have ruled out any possibility of foul play at this stage.

Speaking to The Assam Tribune, officials at the Shivpuri Police Station in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district said preliminary investigations point to suicide.

“We suspect it to be a case of suicide, as no evidence of foul play has been found so far. However, the investigation is ongoing. The post-mortem has been completed, but the results have not been released yet,” said officials from Shivpuri Police Station.

Rosmita, a Dimasa woman, had gone missing on June 5 while en route to Delhi to appear for a Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) examination. Her body was recovered on June 10 from the banks of a river in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district.

The Uttarakhand Police swiftly swung into action and detained two individuals for questioning — Hemant Sharma from Mohindergarh in Delhi and Pankaj Kokar from Rohtak, Haryana.

The police, however, are investigating all possible angles and revealed that Rosmita had a verbal altercation with her reported boyfriend, Hemant, at the location where her body was eventually found.

“She had come here to appear for exams, which can be a stressful experience.Additionally, she had a verbal altercation with Hemant during her stay, which may have impacted her mentally. However, nothing can be confirmed until the post-mortem report is released in the next three to four days,” the official added.

Meanwhile, several community groups in Dima Hasao have demanded a high-level investigation into Rosmita’s death.

On Wednesday, thousands gathered in Haflong for a candlelight march demanding justice. Organised by the Dimasa Students’ Union in collaboration with several other community organisations, the march saw participation from people across caste, creed, and religion.

The protesters have called for a CBI or SIT probe, and the march was a strong show of solidarity in their collective pursuit of justice for Rosmita.