Promised to visit home on Rakhi, found dead next morning:Sister alleges foul play, questions how nursing student obtained OT injection

Nearly 18 days after the death of 24-year-old nursing student Sejal Loniya in Katni, the case continues to raise more questions than answers. Sejal was found dead in her rented room on June 20. While police suspect she died due to an overdose of a highly restricted operation theatre (OT) anesthetic drug, her family has strongly rejected the suicide theory, alleging that she may have been under external pressure or the victim of a larger conspiracy. ‘She was looking forward to Raksha Bandhan,’ says Sister Sejal, a resident of Dhanpuri in Shahdol district, had spoken to her younger sister Shraddha Loniya just a day before her death. Fighting back tears, Shraddha said Sejal sounded cheerful during their conversation on June 19 and had promised to come home two days before Raksha Bandhan so the family could spend time together. Questioning the police’s version, Shraddha said the family has not been given the list of seized items, Sejal’s call records, or CCTV footage from the hospital where she worked. “How could a nursing student access such a highly sensitive OT drug? Someone must have been pressuring her,” she alleged. Landlady found her unresponsive inside locked room According to Sejal’s landlady, Meena Yadav, the 24-year-old was cheerful by nature but usually kept to herself. On the morning of June 20, when Sejal did not open her room as usual, Yadav looked through the window and found her lying unconscious on the bed. Even after splashing water through the window, there was no response. Police were called to the spot. After breaking open the locked door, officers reportedly found a syringe lying beside the bed and initially treated the case as a suspected suicide. Post-mortem raises key questions The post-mortem examination and medical opinion have added new dimensions to the investigation. Doctors found needle puncture marks on the back of both of Sejal’s hands. Her face, neck, and the skin below her elbows showed purple discolouration and prominent dark veins. According to medical experts, these signs indicate severe oxygen deprivation and blockage of the respiratory system. Doctor: Drug used only in ICU or OT settings District Hospital physician Dr. Rajeev Dwivedi said the drug is administered only by trained anaesthetists or specialist doctors in intensive care units (ICUs) or operating theatres before surgery. He explained that if the drug is administered without ventilator support, a person becomes unable to breathe on their own, which can lead to immediate death. Police examining all angles; viscera report awaited Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kamal Maurya said investigators are examining every possible angle, including suicide, coercion, and criminal conspiracy. The biggest question, he said, is how Sejal gained access to the restricted drug. Police are reviewing records from all hospitals and nursing homes where Sejal worked over the past three months. Doctors, ward attendants, and fellow nursing staff are also being questioned to establish the sequence of events. Investigators are now awaiting the forensic science laboratory’s viscera report, which is expected to play a crucial role in determining the exact cause of death.