Guwahati, June 10: The suspicious death of 25-year-old Rashmita Hojai, a civil services aspirant from Assam’s Dima Hasao district, has sparked outrage among the Dimasa community. Her body was recovered under mysterious circumstances in Uttarakhand on Monday, days after she was reported missing from Delhi.
In response, three key Dimasa organizations—Jadikhe Naisho Hosom (JNH), Dimasa Students’ Union (DSU), and the Dimasa Mothers’ Association (DMA)—have submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding a CBI or SIT investigation into the case. They allege foul play and seek accountability for what they are calling a “heinous crime.”
Rashmita, a resident of Sontila Hojai village, had travelled to Delhi for a Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) exam. From there, she went to Rishikesh on June 6 with two male companions—Hemant Sharma, a former classmate from Haryana, and another friend—for a camping trip in Shivpuri. By evening, she was reported missing. A local eyewitness claimed to have seen a woman drowning, prompting search operations by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).
Initially presumed to have drowned, police later recovered her body, intensifying suspicion and calls for a deeper probe. While investigators haven’t ruled out suicide, there is no concrete evidence to support that theory.
Hojai’s family filed a missing report at Haflong Police Station after losing contact with her. Her mother, Solmodi Hojai, said Rashmita was scheduled to return home for the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) Preliminary Exam, which she had been preparing for over several years.
The Dimasa organizations argue that Rashmita did not go to Rishikesh willingly. “She was hesitant to travel for the RRB exam in Delhi because of her upcoming APSC prelims,” the memorandum states, “yet she ended up in Rishikesh under unclear circumstances.”
The Dimasa organisations described her as a bright B.Tech graduate, a dedicated aspirant for civil services, and a person of good moral standing. “This tragic incident demands a thorough and transparent investigation. The truth must come out, and those responsible must be held accountable,” said the joint statement signed by JNH president Kailen Daolagupu, DSU general secretary Pramith Sengyung, and DMA president Bimala Langthasa.
They urged the Union government to take swift action to ensure justice for Rashmita and prevent similar tragedies in the future.
