No headway in airport technician Sansruti Sinha's death, family demands CBI probe

Investigations into a woman engineer's death Monday near a runway of the capital's domestic airport failed to make any progress Wednesday, and her family in Patna demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.

We are minutely inspecting all vehicles operating inside the airport, with the help of forensic experts. But the vehicle which ran over Sanskriti Sinha, an engineer with private airlines Air Deccan, has not been traced yet,' Joint Commissioner of Police (Operations) Aditya Arya told IANS.

'Since Tuesday we have checked over 50 vehicles. Neither the vehicle nor any suspect has been identified. It's a strenuous work and our teams are working on it,' Arya added.

Sanskriti, a 28-year-old aeronautical engineer, was allegedly run over by a heavy vehicle while she was moving towards the hangar area to attend to some technical requirements of an aircraft late Monday. Her body was found with her head completely crushed.

According to airport officials, a pilot of Spice Jet airlines, who was readying for take-off, informed the Air Traffic Control around 10 p.m. Monday that there was something suspicious lying on the taxiway and should be dealt with immediately.

The airport manager found Sanskriti's body half an hour later and informed the police, who do not rule out foul play.

'Her post-mortem report has revealed that she was crushed under a heavy vehicle as there were wheel marks on her head and body. It could be a planned accident so we are investigating the case form all possible angles,' Arya said.

Meanwhile, her family in Patna was in a state of shock and has alleged foul play behind her death.

'A CBI probe will expose the truth behind her death,' said Arun Kumar Sinha, Sanskriti's father.

'Do you think it is possible that someone could drive a vehicle so rashly and at such high speed in this very sensitive zone where the speed limit is restricted to just 20 kmph?' Kumar said Tuesday.

'It can't be just a mere accident as the authorities and the police are yet to trace the killer vehicle. Someone has deliberately killed my daughter,' said a grief-stricken Kumar, a senior lecturer at a government college in Patna.

'We would like to know how an on-duty staff was crushed to death and why Air Deccan authorities have failed to provide the specific cause of her death. A CBI probe is the only solution now,' said Tushar, the victim's elder brother.

Her family has also questioned the report that nobody saw the vehicle that hit Sanskriti despite tight security arrangements at the airport.

Sanskriti was to get engaged next week to a software engineer in Bangalore and her parents were to visit Delhi for shopping for the occasion. But it was her body that arrived in Patna Tuesday night.

'It was unbelievable for us as we have been doing everything for her engagement. It took us hours to cope with the reality,' Tushar said.

'My wife and I were scheduled to leave for Delhi Wednesday for shopping but now we have to cremate her here,' said a tearful Kumar.

Her mother Sheel Ambastha, a schoolteacher, remains inconsolable since she heard of Sanskriti's death. 'She has fainted time and again,' a relative said.

Her house at Mitra Mandal Colony in Anisabad was filled with relatives and friends since Wednesday morning. They came to console the family and take part in the last rites.

Sanskriti was working in the aviation industry for the past six years. She went to Delhi to pursue higher studies and was working in the technical department of Air Deccan for the past two years.