Seeking a thorough further investigation into the death of 18-year-old schoolteacher Manisha of Bhiwani, her father Sanjay Kumar has filed a protest petition before the CBI Special Magistrate, Panchkula, challenging the agency’s final report that concluded that she died by suicide.
The petition, filed through advocate Harsh Mohan Singh on September 22, alleges that the CBI report suffers from “gross, deliberate omissions” and “self-contradictory forensic findings”. It also alleges that the agency adopted a selective approach to downplay the possibility of homicide and suspected sexual assault.
Manisha went missing on August 11, 2025, and her body was recovered two days later from Singhani village in Bhiwani. According to the petition, the body was found with straw, grass, weeds and decomposed skin on it. The facial features and nasal structures were missing, both eye sockets were empty, while the neck had been dissected. The tongue, pharynx, larynx, thyroid and hyoid were also missing.
Three post-mortems, differing findings
The first post-mortem at Civil Hospital, Bhiwani, and the second at PGIMS, Rohtak, concluded that Manisha had died of poisoning. The CBI has also stated that there was evidence that she had purchased a one-litre bottle of Shriram Mono pesticide containing monochrotophos.
Dissatisfied with the findings, the family sought a third post-mortem at AIIMS, New Delhi, on August 20, 2025. A five-member AIIMS medical board concluded that the cause of death was a massive “ante-mortem injury over the neck region caused by a sharp-edged weapon”.
The board also said the skeletonisation of the face was due to the use of a skin-dissolving fluid that might be corrosive, according to the petition.
The petition further cites a Central Forensic Science Laboratory, New Delhi, report which allegedly found “parallel drag marks” near the deceased’s legs, indicating that the body had been shifted to the recovery site.
It also relies on photographs showing what it describes as “deep, clean-edged horizontal tissue gaping” in the neck region, which the family says is consistent with the AIIMS findings.
Phone, pesticide register cited
The petition points to the recovery of the cracked rear body component of Manisha’s black Redmi mobile phone from the Singhani canal, submerged in 5-6 inches of water and about 18 steps from the body. It argues that the phone’s condition indicates intentional destruction of electronic evidence.
The family has also questioned the pesticide sale register. According to the petition, the register had 320 pages, with the alleged sale entry appearing on page 128. It claims customer entries stopped abruptly on page 129, while pages 130 to 314 were blank, alleging possible belated insertion or manipulation.
The family has further alleged that Manisha had visited Ideal International School/Nursing College on August 11 to enquire about a management seat, but the management and staff were not questioned. The CBI Special Magistrate has fixed September 28 for the agency to file its reply to the protest petition.
