The death of 23-year-old UPSC aspirant Rajkumar Jaat has taken a fresh turn after the Gujarat government placed a new investigation report before the Gujarat High Court. The report has brought forward CCTV footage from 21 locations, a purported video showing Jaat removing his clothes before allegedly walking along a highway, and a key unanswered question: where did the clothes he was wearing when he left home go?
Jaat, who was from Gondal in Rajkot district, went missing on March 2, 2025. His body was found seven days later near the Targadhia overbridge on the Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway, around 51 km from the place where he was last seen. Police initially treated the death as a road accident, alleging that he had been struck by a heavy vehicle.
However, his father, Ratanlal Jaat, has maintained that his son was murdered and has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. The case is now before the Gujarat High Court, which has raised several questions about what happened during Rajkumar’s final hours.
What happened to Rajkumar’s clothes?
One of the biggest unanswered questions is the disappearance of the clothes Rajkumar was wearing when he left home.
According to his family’s lawyer, Rajkumar had left wearing blue jeans and a light-blue shirt. Those clothes, the court was told, have not been recovered.
The state has produced a purported video in which Rajkumar is allegedly seen removing his inner clothes before beginning what investigators believe was his walk along the highway.
The family’s counsel questioned what happened to the original clothes.
The lawyer also pointed to photographs that, according to the family’s side, appeared to suggest that Rajkumar may have been called by someone in a car. The family has questioned whether such a vehicle could have had any connection with the alleged offence.
21 CCTV locations show him walking
The state has also attempted to answer the question of whether Rajkumar could have travelled the entire 51-km distance on foot.
Investigators reportedly recovered CCTV footage from 21 different locations between the place where he was last seen and the location where his body was eventually found.
According to the state’s submission, the footage showed Rajkumar walking alone at different points along the route. The footage has been sent for forensic examination.
An expert assessment presented before the court suggested that a healthy adult without major physical limitations can generally walk at around 4 km per hour, or approximately one kilometre in 15 minutes.
At that pace, travelling 51 km would take roughly 12 hours and 45 minutes. The state said Rajkumar allegedly covered the distance in 11 hours and 29 minutes, which would mean an average speed of about 4.4 km per hour.
The prosecution therefore argued that covering the distance was theoretically possible, saying a person could cover approximately 64 km during 11 hours and 29 minutes at the estimated walking speed.
However, the prosecutor also acknowledged that this was only a general estimate, not a definitive calculation of Rajkumar’s individual walking ability.
Was Rajkumar under the influence of an intoxicant?
Another important part of the investigation concerns Rajkumar’s unusual behaviour before his death.
The state told the court that investigators had recovered several videos from Rajkumar’s own mobile phone in which he was allegedly seen behaving in a similar manner and, in some instances, in a similar state of undress.
One purported video was shown to the court in which he was allegedly seen removing his remaining clothes.
Because of this behaviour, investigators sought the opinion of a psychoanalysis expert to determine whether his conduct could indicate that he was under the influence of an intoxicating substance.
However, the government has acknowledged that investigators have not established whether Rajkumar had consumed any intoxicant, or where he might have obtained one.
This remains one of the unresolved aspects of the case.
The missing phone also raises questions
Rajkumar’s family has also questioned the circumstances surrounding his mobile phone.
According to the family’s submissions, Rajkumar had allegedly left his phone at home on the day he disappeared, and investigators later recovered it.
The family’s lawyer argued that if Rajkumar was not carrying his phone, the possibility that he independently contacted someone to obtain an intoxicant would require closer examination.
The family has also questioned why CCTV footage and other details became prominent in the investigation after the High Court began asking specific questions about the case.
How Rajkumar’s body was found
Rajkumar disappeared in the early hours of March 2, 2025, after allegedly visiting the residence of people whom his family later named in connection with the case.
His father approached Gondal police on March 5, reporting him missing and expressing concern over the circumstances of his disappearance.
On March 9, Rajkumar’s body was discovered near the Targadhia overbridge on the Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway.
Police subsequently registered an FIR under provisions relating to causing death by negligence, endangering life and rash driving, along with provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.
Investigators alleged that Rajkumar had been hit by a luxury bus, leading to his death.
His father, however, has consistently rejected the accident theory and alleged that his son was murdered.
Family seeks CBI investigation
Ratanlal Jaat later approached the Gujarat High Court, seeking that the investigation be transferred to the CBI.
The family has named several people as suspects, including Jayrajsinh Jadeja, a former two-time BJP MLA from Gondal, and his son Ganesh Gondal. These remain allegations by the family and have not been established as facts by a court.
The state has told the High Court that investigators have examined technical evidence, witness statements and other aspects of the case. It has also informed the court that a narco-analysis of Ganesh Gondal was conducted, but the result was described as not favourable to the prosecution.
High Court seeks more answers
The latest developments have not settled the central questions surrounding Rajkumar’s death. Instead, they have brought several issues into sharper focus: How did he travel 51 km? Why was he apparently walking without clothes? Where did the clothes he wore when he left home disappear? Was he under the influence of any substance? And was another person or vehicle involved in his final journey?
The High Court had earlier directed a closer examination of the circumstances surrounding Rajkumar being found walking naked on the highway.
The court is scheduled to hear the matter again on September 24.
For now, the investigation continues, and the competing claims surrounding Rajkumar Jaat’s final hours remain unresolved. The questions raised by the family and the court will need to be answered through evidence before the circumstances of his death can be conclusively established.
Also Read: Gujarat’s Nuclear Power Push: Dhuvaran Could Get 7,000 MW Mega Project https://www.vibesofindia.com/gujarat-dhuvaran-nuclear-power-project-anand/
