However, the Chandigarh Police stuck to its conclusion and in reply on Tuesday, denied the allegations, stating it to be a case of suicide . (Representational image)
Two-and-a-half years after the Chandigarh Police concluded that a 17-year-old student had committed suicide by jumping into the Dhanas Lake, the district court has ordered a reinvestigation into the case, acting over the family’s petition, alleging it to be a murder. However, the Chandigarh Police stuck to its conclusion and in reply on Tuesday, denied the allegations, stating it to be a case of suicide.
The next date of hearing is July 17. The court of Jagmeet Singh, Judicial Magistrate First Class, under Section 202 of CrPC, on May 20 had directed the Station House Officer of Sector 11 police station to get the inquiry conducted by an officer not below the rank of an Inspector.
But, the Chandigarh Police on Tuesday filed a reply mentioning that the allegations are false and baseless and that the daughter of the petitioner, a Class XII student, had committed suicide. There is no foul play on part of Rishabh (the suspect) and that the watchman (of the lake) has told them that there was no one, along with the victim, Barkha, when she jumped into the lake, the police mentioned.
Advocate Dan Bahadur, counsel for the complainant, said, though the police have denied the allegations and stated it to be a case of suicide in their reply, on the next date, they will produce evidences and witnesses in the court to clarify the matter.
According to reports, the incident dates back to December 17, 2015, when Class XII student Barkha, a resident of Sector 25, was found drowned in the lake. The police had then registered a DDR in the case and held it to be a suicide. However, the family moved the district court in April 2016 and filed a complaint under Section 156 (3) of the CrPC seeking directions for the Chandigarh Police to register an FIR in the case.
The father of the victim, Sanjay Kumar, had stated in his complaint that his daughter Barkha was a brilliant student. On December 17, she had an exam and left for her government senior secondary school in Dhanas at 7.45 am. Barkha finished her examination around 12.15 pm, but did not return home, after which the family tried to trace her till evening.
Meanwhile, around 5.25 pm, the family received an information that Barkha had drowned in the lake and that a team from the Police Control Room had taken her to Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research where the doctors had declared her brought dead.
On December 19, the complainant, along with other family members, went to the spot where they met the watchman of the lake, Ram Babu, who told them that he had seen Barkha on the day. A youth was pushing her into the lake during an argument, the guard reportedly told the family. As he asked them to leave the area, both went away around 5 pm, the watchman had said.
The father of the victim then showed a few photographs in the mobile phone of his son to the guard to identify the person who was there with Barkha. The security guard then identified one of the youths, Rishabh, who was a neighbour of the complainant.
The complainant then approached the police, which according to him, did not act promptly. The complainant also alleged that he was attacked by the suspect at the police station as well, but the cops, instead of taking action against Rishabh, arrested him under Section 107/151 of the CrPC. However, he was released later.
Accusing the police of being in connivance with the accused and his family, the complainant thus sought directions from a local court to register the FIR in the case. Police have not registered any FIR so far. In fact, while replying on Tuesday, police also countered the family’s claim that Barkha was a brilliant student, stating that her results showed that she was weak in studies.