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Haryana Police: Bhiwani schoolteacher may have killed herself
Autopsy report rubbishes rape and slit-throat theory, suicide note found from victim’s bag, says Bhiwani SP; deceased’s grandfather questions suicide note, asks cops why didn't they talk about it on August 13 when the body was found
The Bhiwani police on Monday said the autopsy report suggested that the 19-year-old Bhiwani woman schoolteacher died after consuming some insecticide. Officials also said that a suicide note has been found, but the deceased’s family questioned the police version.
Since the body was found (on August 13) in the fields of Singhani village, her family and villagers have been protesting while demanding arrest of those responsible. The protest in Dhigawa village has been going on for the last four days.
Talking to HT over phone, Bhiwani superintendent of police (SP) Sumit Kumar said the post-mortem examination report suggested she consumed some insecticide. “The report of Rohtak’s Post-graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) confirmed she was not raped and also there was no cut on her throat. A suicide note and some documents were recovered from the woman’s bag on August 13. She had purchased insecticide from a shop close to the school where she taught,” the SP said.
According to the police, she wrote in the suicide note, “Mummy, papa you did a lot for me, but you were upset with me. I was not wrong. Also I did nothing wrong. I want to fulfill my parents’ dream. I wanted to be a nursing officer. I don’t want to be a financial burden. I am sorry if I have hurt you.”
The handwriting matches with that of the woman, the SP said. According to the SP, in the first post-mortem report the doctor mentioned that the wounds on her body were lacerated wounds with a gnawing effect. Gnawing is when any scavenger eats the body. “The doctor has very clearly mentioned that these are the scavenging animal bites. He has used the word gnawing effect. A portion of the neck was missing. Eyes and face skin were not there. But no vital organ below the neck is missing,” the SP said.
Meanwhile, the deceased’s grandfather raised questions over the investigation. He asked the police to prove it. “We doubt her two male acquaintances. Cops should grill them. If this was a suicide, why police officials did not talk about it on August 13 when the body was found,” he said.
She had been missing since August 11 after leaving school, purportedly to inquire about admission at a nearby nursing college. CCTV footage confirmed that she was near the college that afternoon. However, her whereabouts after that point remained unknown until her body was found two days later. The deceased’s father had alleged that the Loharu police had initially refused to lodge a report on August 11, suggesting that his daughter might have run away or gone on a trip and would return in a few days. It was only the following day that the complaint was registered.
According to police officials, the woman had purchased insecticide from a shopkeeper named Devender on August 11. Two days later, her body was recovered from near a canal in Singhani village, which is 6.5 km from her native village — Dhani Laxman. After the public outrage, the then Bhiwani SP Manbir Singh was transferred and five cops were placed under suspension.
Earlier in the day, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and other leaders demanded a CBI probe. “The role of government and police in the whole case had been negligent and irresponsible. An attempt is being made to prove it a suicide. The criminals who carried out this brutal crime are still roaming free,” Hooda told reporters in Rohtak. (With PTI inputs)
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