Dalit student’s suicide case: SIT adds forgery charges against college director, son

The SIT headed by DSP (state crime branch) Vikas Kumar submitted the status report in Bhiwani court on December 5 and informed the court that the deceased woman’s handwriting did match with the answer sheets.

The special investigation team (SIT) of the Haryana Police probing the suicide case of a 22-year-old Dalit college student, who died by suicide last year in Bhiwani’s Loharu after reportedly being denied permission by college authorities to appear in the exam over unpaid fee, has added new sections -338 (Forgery of valuable security, will and other documents), 336 (Forgery, covering false documents/electronic records made with intent to cause damage, support claims, or commit fraud) and 349 of the BNS against college director Hanuman and his son Rahul. The new sections were imposed after the forensic science laboratory report confirmed that the handwriting in the answer sheet did not match with the deceased.

The 22-year-old woman’s family had alleged that she was distressed due to pressure to pay her pending fee and also harassed by one of the accused, Rahul, who used to call her. (Representational image)

The 22-year-old woman’s family had alleged that she was distressed due to pressure to pay her pending fee and also harassed by one of the accused, Rahul, who used to call her. The woman’s family alleged that she was not allowed to appear in the BA (5th semester) exams, however, the college authorities had refuted the allegations.

The SIT headed by DSP (state crime branch) Vikas Kumar submitted the status report in Bhiwani court on December 5 and informed the court that the deceased woman’s handwriting did match with the answer sheets.

“On August 13, answer sheets of the woman’s fifth semester and her diary were sent to a forensic science laboratory in Delhi for verification of handwriting and authenticity. On September 8, we received an FSL report and the handwriting of answer sheets did not match with the deceased. After receiving the report, new sections- 338, 336 and 340 of the BNS were invoked in the FIR registered on December 27, 2024, under sections 108, 3(5) and 238-B of the BNS against Hanuman and his son, Rahul. An investigation is on in the case,” the DSP said in the status report.

Earlier, the former investigating officer Vivek Choudhry, DSP (state crime branch), in his report stated that the woman ended her life after her parents got to know about ‘relationship’ with one of the accused Rahul, and her classmates told the probe team that she died of fear from her parents. The DSP had stated that no evidence of abetment to suicide were found against college director Hanuman, his son Rahul, daughter Sanju and college Principal Sarita. On March 23, an application was moved to discharge the accused and then National Commission for Scheduled Castes took suo motu cognisance. On May 14, the commission found the investigation unsatisfactory, inadequate, and procedurally deficient.

“The answer sheets of all the papers, hall ticket, bus ticket, and call detail records between the college administration and the father of the deceased must be examined by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) for verification of handwriting, authenticity, and corroboration of sequence of events. The notes and other exemplar writings of the deceased should be collected by the IO and used for forensic comparison to conclusively determine whether the answer sheets submitted in her name were genuinely written by her. No closure report shall be filed or submitted before the court until the forensic findings are received and the allegations are thoroughly investigated,” the commission had observed.

And thereafter, the IO was changed and re-investigation was started.

Talking to HT over the phone, woman’s counsel Rajat Kalsan said that he has argued in the court today to cancel the bail application of the accused father-son duo and police should investigate the role of the college owner too.

The deceased woman’s father alleged that the FSL report has exposed fake claims of college management that his daughter was allowed to appear in the exams.

“The police should probe who appeared in exams in my daughter’s place and take action against all the culprits involved in the conspiracy,” he added.