Agartala, July 14, 2025: In a tragic development that has shocked both Delhi and Tripura, the body of 19-year-old Sneha Debnath, a student of Delhi University’s Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, was recovered from the Yamuna River under the Geeta Colony flyover on Sunday — a week after she was reported missing.
Originally hailing from Sabroom in South Tripura, Sneha had moved to Delhi for higher education. Her sudden disappearance on July 7 had triggered a frantic multi-agency search and widespread concern on social media. The recovery of a handwritten suicide note from her hostel room has pointed towards death by suicide, though police have not ruled out any possibilities and a detailed investigation is ongoing.
In the note, Sneha reportedly wrote: “I just feel like a failure and burden, and it was getting unbearable to live like this… There is no foul play. It was my decision.” The note has been submitted to the police as part of the official probe.
According to family sources, Sneha had informed her mother on the morning of July 7 that she was heading to Sarai Rohilla Railway Station to drop a friend catching a train. Her last call was recorded at 5:56 am, after which her phone was switched off. It was later found that her friend had not met her that morning. Sneha had instead booked a cab to Signature Bridge — a location infamously associated with suicides — where the cab driver confirmed dropping her off.
Investigators faced a critical obstacle due to non-functional CCTV cameras on and around the Signature Bridge, limiting leads in the initial days. Despite this, Delhi Police, along with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), carried out extensive search operations along a 7-kilometre stretch of the Yamuna, from Nigam Bodh Ghat to Noida. Some eyewitnesses reportedly saw a girl standing on the bridge that morning, but no concrete sightings were confirmed.
The breakthrough came with the discovery of a female body under Geeta Colony flyover on Sunday, which was later identified as Sneha’s.
Tripura Chief Minister, in a statement issued through the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), expressed deep sorrow over the incident and extended heartfelt condolences to the grieving family. The CMO confirmed that the state government actively coordinated with Delhi Police to expedite the investigation and ensure the student’s body was recovered and identified promptly.
“The incident is heartbreaking. A full investigation has been ordered to determine the exact circumstances of her death,” the statement said. The Chief Minister also directed Tripura Bhawan in New Delhi to extend all necessary support to the family, including legal aid if required.
Sneha’s untimely death has raised pressing questions about student mental health, safety infrastructure around vulnerable spots like Signature Bridge, and the support systems available to students living far from home.
