DIBRUGARH: Aryan Goswami, the prime accused in the death of 18-year-old Anwesha Saikia, on Wednesday denied killing her and claimed he had tried to save her after she allegedly consumed drugs at a party at his flat on Aug 15.Goswami (22) was arrested from Rangajan in Golaghat district on Tuesday night by a Jorhat Police team led by officer-in charge Hrishikesh Hazarika. He spoke to reporters while being taken to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH) for mandatory medical tests, along with his two friends, Monalisa Nath and Arpita Kakoty, who were also arrested in connection with the case.“I did not kill her. I only tried to save her. She was lying on the floor. I fed her salt because I’d heard it can help during a drug overdose. But she blacked out in front of me,” Aryan said.Monalisa said, “We didn’t kill her. She died of a drug overdose. She bought it with her own money. We are not her mother, to keep advising her on what to do.”Monalisa and Arpita had attended the party at Aryan’s mother Jharna Goswami’s second-floor flat at Gauri Enclave on Dohabora Road on Aug 15. They were among those who later took Anwesha to JMCH, where doctors declared her “brought dead.”Jharna, who was questioned by police on Tuesday and summoned again on Wednesday, said she was away when the party took place. She acknowledged that her son had a history of drug use and had returned from a rehabilitation centre on July 10.“He doesn’t listen to me. Now, he’s facing the consequences of that,” she told reporters.CCTV footage from the building allegedly showed Aryan and his friends dragging Anwesha, a Class 12 student, from the second-floor flat to the parking area, before taking her to hospital in an autorickshaw.Anwesha’s family has rejected the account given by Aryan and his friends, alleging that she was murdered, pointing to injury marks on her neck and face, and demanded a thorough forensic investigation.Residents of Gauri apartment said parties were frequently held at Aryan’s flat. They also alleged that he had previous run-ins with the law, including an incident on Aug 21, 2025, when he allegedly tried to attack the building’s security guard with a machete.
