Vedika Thakur murder case: What we know so far

Vedika Thakur, an MBA student, died on Monday (June 27) at a private hospital in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. She had been allegedly shot by BJP leader Priyansh Vishwakarma on June 16, and remained on a ventilator for 10 days.

On June 16, Vedika had accompanied her friend Payal to sell a mobile phone. However, it has not yet been revealed how she landed up at the office of Priyansh, and why she was shot.

Payal, who was with Vedika at the time of the incident, has been missing since then.

Who is Priyansh?

Priyansh, a builder by profession associated with the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, is known to have close connections with Maninagendra Singh, also known as Monu Patel, the son of Narsinghpur MLA Jalan Singh.

According to the police, Priyansh drove around for nearly six hours with Vedika's injured body before finally dropping her off at a hospital in the evening and fleeing. He surrendered at the Dhanwantari police station on June 19.

Initially charged under Section 307 for attempted murder, Priyansh was incarcerated. However, following Vedika's demise, the charges were upgraded to Section 302 for murder. Vedika had provided a statement to the police during her treatment, confirming that Priyansh shot her at his office.

The police have also revealed that Priyansh attempted to destroy evidence by absconding with the DVR of the CCTV cameras installed at his office, as well as attempting to dispose of the pistol used in the crime. However, the police managed to recover the weapon.

While BJP leaders in Madhya Pradesh have distanced themselves from Priyansh, asserting that he is not a party member, several photographs on his social media profile show him with BJP leaders. The opposition party, Congress, has criticized the BJP, alleging that the accused is associated with the party.

Vedika’s body sent for post-mortem

Vedika's body was sent for post-mortem examination, during which the bullet lodged in her body was extracted and seized by the police. The bullet has been submitted to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for analysis.

Additionally, questions regarding the motive behind Priyansh's act and the whereabouts of Payal, Vedika's missing friend since her death, remain unresolved.