India

Tribal Activist Nisha Kumari Bhagat Found Dead After Facebook Live Accusations

By PTI

Nisha Kumari Bhagat, a tribal activist from Jharkhand, was found dead in her Ranchi home on Friday after a nearly 11‑minute Facebook Live video in which she accused the state government led by Hemant Soren and land brokers of harassing her. In the video, Bhagat could be heard crying and saying that anyone who raised their voice against the Soren government and its land brokers was inviting death. She added that she could not bear the humiliation of the administration and that she had to embrace her own death. The video abruptly cut off, with the camera appearing to be obstructed by a green object.

Police recovered Bhagat’s body, which was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a room at her residence. The body has been sent to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for a post‑mortem examination. A police officer from the Ranchi City SP’s office said that it appears she died by suicide after going live on social media, but the exact reason behind the incident is yet to be ascertained and a detailed investigation has been launched.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Hemant Soren over the activist’s death, while the JMM ally CPI(ML) Liberation has called for a fair investigation. Leader of the Opposition Babulal Marandi described Bhagat as a young tribal leader who fought for her community’s rights and blamed Soren, the Pithoria police station in‑charge, and Ajay Tirkey for her death. BJP state president Aditya Sahu alleged that Bhagat was deeply distressed by harassment from middlemen and associates of the chief minister and that police failed to intervene when she said she was going to die. Former chief ministers Champai Soren and Raghubar Das expressed grief and accused the state government of protecting land brokers. CPI(ML) Liberation’s state secretary Manoj Bhakat urged an impartial, high‑level probe into the incident and for justice for Bhagat’s family.