On July 25, the dead body of 20-year-old Nishank Rathore was found on the railway tracks near Obaidullaganj town in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh. As per reports, his corpse was allegedly cut into half by a running train.
However, the police have not registered a First Information Report (FIR) so far and yet labelled the mysterious death of the engineering student as a case of suicide.
But the family members have refused to buy the ‘suicide theory’ and reiterated that Rathore had no reason to kill himself. While speaking about the matter, the deceased’s sister Deeksha told The Print, “I am certain Nishank was murdered.” She added, “He was just a jovial and cheerful 20-year-old engineering student trying to figure out life… I am certain he wouldn’t take such an extreme step.”
Besides his family members, a school friend by the name of Raj Raj Raghuvanshi too has dismissed claims of suicide. It must be mentioned that Nishak stayed with him in Bhopal, prior to his unnatural death. He told The Print, “I’ve known him since Class 4, and he couldn’t have done this. He was not doing too badly in college. He knew all about cryptocurrencies and was actively investing in them. He did not show any sign of depression even when the market was crashing.”
“He did borrow money but that was also in good faith from friends who would never blackmail him. It would be bizarre if he took this step,” he emphasised.
Claims made by the police
According to the police, Nishank Rathore was in a deep financial crisis. Vikas Sahwal, Raisen Superintendent of Police (SP), claimed that the deceased invested in cryptocurrencies and borrowed money from instant loan apps at high-interest rates.
He told The Print, “His phone and laptop were given for forensics and we found out that he had plenty of loan apps on his phone that he was using. We are yet to ascertain how and when he used these apps.”
The SP also alleged that there is no evidence to suggest foul play in the death of Nishank Rathore. While pointing out that no FIR has been registered so far, SP Vikas Sahwal claimed that the deceased’s parents had no idea about Rathore’s mental health.
“There is no behavioural pattern or trace of him being involved with a larger group. He did not even have disciplinary issues in college. We did not find any information that would suggest that someone murdered him,” he concluded.
Unanswered questions about the death of Nishank Rathore
OpIndia had earlier reported how experts found loopholes in the ‘suicide theory.’ The police have not been able to explain the threat message that Umashankar Rathore, the father of the deceased, received on his phone on the evening of July 24.
On the same day, an Instagram story was uploaded from his profile, bearing the same Islamist slogan. The picture showed the deceased with a saffron flag, with a cross marked over it. “Rathore sahab bohot bahadur tha apka beta, Gustaak e Nabi ki ek sazaa tan sar se juda…(Mr Rathore, your son was brave! The punishment for insulting the Prophet is death),” read the message.
Earlier, several people have been killed over the Islamist slogan. A Hindu tailor from Udaipur, Kanhaiya Lal, was beheaded by Mohammed Ghaus and Riyaz for extending support to Nupur Sharma. 7 days prior to his beheading, another Hindu man named Umesh Kolhe was hacked to death for supporting Nupur Sharma. Several people, including TV actresses, have received death threats for merely speaking in support of the ex-BJP spokesperson.
Nishank Rathore had filled fuel in his rented bike and was headed towards his home. But, he later decided to make a U-turn and went in the direction of the railway station. His bike, phone and slippers were recovered from the vicinity of his body.
Although the deceased was a good student and had no disciplinary issues, it came to light that he did not attend any classes during his 4th semester and did not pay fees for the 5th semester.
