Sidhi (Madhya Pradesh), July 6 (IANS) The disappearance of a 21-year-old tribal college student in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district has snowballed into a mystery, with her family alleging that police cremated skeletal remains believed to be hers without handing them over for the last rites, while the police insist the identity of the deceased is yet to be scientifically established.

Priyanka, a final-year B.A. student, went missing on June 24 after leaving Sidhi town for her home in Churhat.

Her family alleged that when they approached the Churhat police station to lodge a missing person’s complaint the same day, they were asked to register it at Sidhi Kotwali, as she had last been seen there.

The missing person’s report was eventually registered on June 27.

Six days later, on the evening of June 30, Churhat police recovered skeletal remains from the Koshta forest area.

The body had decomposed completely, leaving only a skeleton.

Churhat police station in-charge Rita Tripathi told IANS, “The body had decomposed to such an extent that only the skeleton remained. It was not possible to determine even the gender, so the remains were sent to Sanjay Gandhi Medical College, Rewa, for examination.”

After learning about the recovery, Priyanka’s family approached the police and claimed the remains belonged to her, saying they recognised the clothes, shoes and necklace found with the skeleton.

“We identified Priyanka from her clothes, shoes and necklace, but despite that, the police did not hand over the body to us,” a family member said.

The family further alleged that they were called to the cremation but were not allowed to perform the last rites.

“The police themselves conducted the cremation in our presence,” another relative claimed.

Police, however, maintained that the remains could not be handed over because the identity had not been confirmed.

“The family claimed the skeleton could be that of their missing daughter, but without DNA analysis the identity could not be confirmed. Therefore, the remains were not handed over, and the cremation was carried out after the family was informed,” Tripathi said.

Responding to allegations that the family was turned away when they first tried to report the disappearance, Tripathi said the referral was made only because “the family themselves stated that Sidhi was the girl’s last known location. There was no other reason for asking them to approach Sidhi Kotwali.”

Police said forensic and DNA examination reports are awaited to establish the identity of the deceased and determine the circumstances surrounding the death.

Until then, the family’s claim that the skeletal remains are those of Priyanka and the police’s insistence on scientific confirmation continue to leave the case shrouded in mystery.

–IANS

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