1 week ago
Gujarat Court Examines Naked Highway Walk in Aspirant’s Death
Rajkumar Jaat was a 23-year-old student preparing for a major civil-service exam in Gujarat.
He disappeared on March 2, 2025.
His body was found several days later beside a highway.
Police initially said he may have been hit by a bus.
The government now says cameras recorded him walking alone at 21 places.
A video may show him taking off his clothes before the walk.
However, the clothes he was wearing when he left home have not been found.
His father believes Rajkumar was murdered and wants a federal agency to investigate.
The Gujarat High Court is examining the unanswered questions and will hear the case again on September 24.
Rajkumar Jaat, a 23-year-old UPSC aspirant, went missing from Gondal on March 2, 2025.
Police said CCTV footage showed Jaat walking alone at 21 locations over a distance of about 51 km.
A purported video allegedly shows Jaat removing his clothes before beginning the walk; his original jeans and shirt remain missing.
The state said a healthy adult could theoretically walk about 64 km in 11 hours and 29 minutes, though the estimate was not definitive.
Jaat’s father alleges murder and has sought a CBI investigation, while police initially treated the death as a road accident.
- Who
- Rajkumar Jaat, a 23-year-old UPSC aspirant from Gondal; his father Ratanlal Jaat; Gujarat police and the state government.
- What
- Jaat disappeared, was allegedly seen walking naked for about 51 km, and was later found dead near a highway overbridge.
- Where
- Jaat was from Gondal in Rajkot district, and his body was found near the Targadhia overbridge on the Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway.
- When
- He went missing on March 2, 2025; his body was found on March 9; the High Court reviewed a further report on August 25.
- Why
- The Gujarat High Court is examining whether the death was a road accident or a possible murder, and how Jaat came to walk naked.
Family’s Murder Allegation
State’s Accident Theory
Cause of death
Family’s Murder Allegation
Ratanlal Jaat alleges that his son was murdered and has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry.
State’s Accident Theory
Police initially registered the case as a road accident, alleging that Jaat was run over by a luxury bus.
Missing clothing and possible vehicle
Family’s Murder Allegation
The petitioner says Jaat’s jeans and shirt are missing and points to photographs that may suggest he was called by someone in a car.
State’s Accident Theory
The state has focused on CCTV footage showing Jaat walking alone and has not established from the report what happened to his original clothes.
Naked behavior and intoxication
Family’s Murder Allegation
The petitioner argues that the intoxication theory requires closer scrutiny, particularly because Jaat’s mobile phone was reportedly left at home.
State’s Accident Theory
The state said videos showed similar behavior and referred the footage to a psychoanalysis expert, but acknowledged that investigators had not established whether Jaat consumed an intoxicant.
Key facts
- Missing date
- March 2, 2025
- Body recovered
- March 9, 2025
- Reported walking distance
- Approximately 51 km
- Reported walking time
- 11 hours and 29 minutes
- CCTV evidence
- Footage from 21 locations allegedly showed Jaat walking alone
- Original clothing
- Blue jeans and a light-blue shirt, which investigators have not recovered
- Next hearing
- The Gujarat High Court is scheduled to take up the matter again on September 24
Quotes
Hardik Dave
Public prosecutor representing the Gujarat state in the High Court case
“The (purported) video shown to the court shows him (Jaat) already in his (innerwear) before he removes that as well… The question, therefore, is what happened to the clothes he was originally wearing. We also have photographs that suggest he may have been called by someone in a car… The vehicle could have been involved in the offence.”
indianexpress.com
“If he was not carrying his phone, the theory that he independently contacted someone to obtain ganja or another intoxicant also required closer scrutiny… The CCTV video and other details appeared to have emerged only after the High Court began raising specific queries about the investigation…”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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