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22-year-old woman dies in Manali, Himachal Pradesh (Representative/File)
The death of a 22-year-old woman in Khakhnal village has put Kullu police under scrutiny for what the victim's family said was negligence and lack of timely action
The death of a 22-year-old woman from Khakhnal village in Manali, Himachal Pradesh has raised serious concerns. The woman left home on August 7 to visit friends at a local hotel and was reported missing on August 10, when her phone was found to be switched off and she did not return home.
Despite urgent pleas from the family, police reportedly took no action for three days and only began an investigation after the body was found on the banks of the Beas River. The subsequent arrests of two of her friends and a hotelier deepened the mystery, not least the reported deletion of vital CCTV footage from the hotel.
The case sparked widespread criticism and calls for a thorough review of how police investigations are handled. The family said they alerted the police, but no immediate action was taken. The family claimed they had to find the body themselves; it was found nearby on August 13 on the banks of the Beas River.
Her mother expressed anger that Kullu police arrived at the scene two hours after learning of the body. The mother has demanded a CBI investigation, saying a lack of timely police intervention led to her daughter's disappearance.
Her father said they were dissatisfied with police, noting that even after providing the victim's laptop, authorities did not examine it. He also stressed that he personally made inquiries at the Black Magic Hotel in Old Manali where the woman was staying.
The father claimed the hotel manager initially refused to provide CCTV footage, claiming the cameras were down due to a power outage. Suspicions were further heightened when it was later discovered that the CCTV footage had been deleted.
Local resident Ramesh Kumar called for a thorough investigation into the CCTV footage deleted by the hotel. He believes the footage is crucial to discovering the truth. He stressed the need for police to conduct fair and transparent investigations.
