Body of Missing DU Student Sneha Debnath Found in Yamuna, Raises Questions Over Bridge Safety

New Delhi, July 13, 2025 — The body of 19-year-old Sneha Debnath, a Delhi University student missing for six days, was recovered from the Yamuna river near the Geeta Colony flyover on Sunday evening, police confirmed.

Debnath, originally from Sabroom in South Tripura and residing in Delhi’s Paryavaran Complex, was reported missing on July 7. Her disappearance sparked an intense search operation after a missing person’s FIR was filed at Mehrauli police station.

Investigators revealed that Debnath had left behind a handwritten note suggesting her intention to jump off the Signature Bridge, a prominent structure spanning the Yamuna. Police tracked her last movements using technical surveillance, which confirmed her presence at the bridge. A cab driver and several eyewitnesses reported seeing a woman standing on the bridge, who later disappeared.

The National Disaster Response Force and local police units scoured the Yamuna stretch from Nigam Bodh Ghat to Noida for days. Officials said Debnath’s body was eventually spotted floating near the Geeta Colony flyover and was later identified by her family.

Police disclosed that Debnath had sent troubling messages to her friends in the early hours of July 7. Her friends told investigators she had been struggling with emotional distress for several months.

The case has cast a spotlight on security measures or the lack thereof on the Signature Bridge. Friends and family voiced frustration over the non-functioning CCTV cameras on and around the bridge, a known hotspot for suicides.

“Despite the Signature Bridge being a suicide-prone area, there is not a single CCTV camera that works on the bridge or in nearby areas,” alleged one of Debnath’s close friends.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha had previously acknowledged Debnath’s disappearance in a post on X and had instructed police to act swiftly in tracing her whereabouts.

As police continue their probe, the tragedy has ignited broader concerns about mental health support for students and the need for robust surveillance infrastructure at vulnerable public sites.