Chandigarh, March 24: A Class 11 student of a government school in Chandigarh allegedly died by suicide at his home in Zirakpur on Saturday, with his mother accusing the Chandigarh cybercrime police of torturing him and three other students during questioning.
The boy reportedly left a suicide note addressed to his mother, expressing his mental distress over a social media controversy at school a few months ago. However, he did not name any police officer.
The victim’s mother, a single parent, lodged a complaint with Zirakpur police, seeking action against the UT cop and the school authorities. She alleged that the students were called to the Sector 17 cybercrime police station on Saturday regarding a meme page on Instagram that mocked school teachers.
“The school principal informed me about the meme page five months ago, but nothing was found on my child’s Instagram ID. On Saturday, I was in Jalandhar when an ASI from the UT cyber police called, asking me to bring my son to the police station. I told him I was out of town and would come the next day. But when I returned home, I couldn’t find my son,” the mother said in her complaint.
She recounted breaking the glass of a back window when her son did not respond. “I found him hanging from the ceiling fan. I rushed him to a private hospital, but doctors declared him brought dead,” she added.
Doctors found a suicide note in his pocket, which they handed over to Mohali police. The victim’s friends later informed the family that he had been taken to the cybercrime police station along with other students, where they were allegedly assaulted in separate rooms.
“They hit all the children during questioning. The school principal also harassed him. After returning from the police station, my son ended his life,” the mother told the media.
Another student who was also questioned alleged that the police threatened to file criminal cases against them. “They showed us the posts and abused us. Even teachers threatened us. My friend was tortured by the police,” he claimed.
Despite the allegations, Zirakpur police have not filed an FIR.
“If the boy was tortured at the Chandigarh police station, UT senior officers will investigate. The students were called based on a formal complaint by the school. There is no evidence of abetment so far,” a senior Mohali police officer said.
Zirakpur SHO Jaskanwal Singh Sekhon said the investigation was ongoing. “We will take appropriate action once the probe is complete,” he added.
Meanwhile, senior UT education department officials dismissed the harassment claims. “The principal had written to the department and the police to take down the page after seeing the offensive content. There was no harassment,” they said.
The principal had filed a complaint with the cyber cell on December 9, 2024, regarding the creation of a fake Instagram account used to post derogatory content about teachers. Cyber police tracked several IP addresses and summoned a student’s father for questioning. The student then called his friends, who were also questioned.
Senior UT police officials stated that no formal inquiry into the family’s allegations had been marked yet. UT SSP Kanwardeep Kaur remained unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts.
