Case lodged 9 months after suicide

Ludhiana: Nine months back, on July 18, 2022, a 14-year-old girl was found hanging by the ceiling fan inside her house in the city’s Meherban area while her father had gone to a hospital. Since then, the bereaved father has been struggling to get an FIR registered. Finally, Meharban police registered an FIR against the unidentified accused on charges of abetment to suicide. Her father, Sukhwinder Singh, who runs a business, said his daughter was killed and hanged by the ceiling fan. He also claimed to have evidence to corroborate his claim. “I was divorced and was living with my two daughters aged 14 and 7 years. On July 17, 2022, a snake bit my brother and I rushed him to hospital. I was at the hospital with him when I received a call from my niece saying that my daughter Jasleen was unwell. I came home and found her hanging by the ceiling fan. However, her knees were touching the table and even the knot of the dupatta was not tight enough. I could clearly understand that she had not hanged herself. I rushed her to hospital but she could not survive,” he said.
He added that despite him maintaining that his daughter had been killed, police did not register a case. “I approached many police personnel seeking justice but to no avail. Recently, I met director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav who asked an IPS officer to inquire into the matter and check the evidence I had. Thereafter, police registered a case. I would still say that it was a murder and I will meet the Ludhiana police commissioner.”
Assistant commissioner of police – Civil Lines Jasroop Kaur Bath, who conducted inquiries said, “Both the autopsy report and forensic report confirm that it was suicide. The abetment to suicide case was registered on the basis of the reports. A probe is on to ascertain what led the 14-year-old to commit suicide.”