Missing DU Student Sneha Debnath Body Found in Yamuna
Missing DU Student Sneha Debnath (Image family statement)
19-year-old from Tripura had gone missing on July 7; CCTV blind spots draw criticism
By AMIT KUMAR
NEW DELHI, July 14, 2025 — The police recovered the body of Sneha Debnath, a 19-year-old Delhi University student missing for six days, from the Yamuna River near the Geeta Colony flyover on Sunday evening. She had gone missing on July 7 after she got off from a taxi at Signature Bridge, according to the statement issued by her family members.
According to officials, Sneha left behind a handwritten note, suggesting she intended to jump off the Signature Bridge. Technical surveillance led investigators to confirm her last known location at the bridge, said PTI in a report on Sunday evening. Eyewitnesses and the driver told police they saw a young woman standing alone on the bridge, who later vanished from sight, added the news agency.
“Her body, spotted floating in the Yamuna under the Geeta Colony flyover, was identified by her family, bringing a tragic end to a multi-agency search operation that spanned several days and included the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local police units. The operation covered the stretch between Nigam Bodh Ghat and Noida,” added PTI in its report.
Sneha’s disappearance had already gained national attention, especially after Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha acknowledged the case in a social media post and directed law enforcement to take urgent action. She was the daughter of Sub. Maj. Hony. Lt. Pritish Debnath (retd.), a retired Army officer currently undergoing dialysis for chronic kidney failure, her family said in a widely shared public statement.
The family had raised the alarm after Sneha’s mother last spoke with her at 5:56 a.m. on July 7, when Sneha claimed she was dropping a friend, Petunia, at Sarai Rohilla railway station. However, Petunia later confirmed she never met Sneha that day. Her phone went unreachable soon after, and her bank account had seen no activity in four months.
CCTV Failure Under Fire
In the aftermath of her death, serious questions have emerged about surveillance infrastructure at the Signature Bridge, a location with a history of suicides.
Sneha’s family echoed the concern, calling the area a “huge blind spot” that robbed them of vital information. “This is not just about Sneha; this is about the safety and dignity of every young woman in this city,” the family said in the statement.
Sneha had reportedly sent emotional messages to friends through email and messaging apps in the early hours of July 7, indicating deep emotional distress. Friends told investigators she had been struggling for months, though no official mental health diagnosis has been made public.
As condolences pour in, so too do calls for accountability. Activists, citizens, and members of the academic community have begun questioning the lack of preventive infrastructure at suicide-prone public sites, as well as the speed and seriousness of police responses in missing person cases involving young women.
Follow The Raisina Hills on WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn
About The Author
