Chandigarh, March 25, — Chandigarh Police’s Cybercrime Cell registered an FIR on Monday over a fake Instagram account impersonating a government school, allegedly used by students to post offensive content. The FIR, filed under Section 61(2) of the BNS, 2023, and Sections 66C, 67, and 67A of the IT Act, followed a complaint by the school principal.
The action came after a Class 11 student from the same school reportedly died by suicide at his Zirakpur home on Saturday. His mother lodged a complaint with Zirakpur police, seeking action against a Chandigarh ASI and the school authorities.
Superintendent of Police (Cyber) Geetanjali Khandelwal said the IP address linked to the fake account was traced to the father of one of the students. “When police contacted the man, he brought his son along. The boy then called his friends to the station. All questioning was conducted in a common hall with teachers, the principal, and parents present. CCTV footage confirms the proceedings were peaceful, with no physical assault or abuse,” she stated.
The school principal said she was unaware of the fake account until Saturday when police summoned her. “We filed a complaint with the cyber cell to have the account taken down,” she said. Police also sent a letter to Meta (Instagram), requesting details of the account.
Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR) and the Punjab State & Chandigarh Human Rights Commission sought reports from the police and the school regarding the minor’s suicide. “We have asked for a status update and a report from the concerned departments,” CCPCR chairperson Shipra Bansal said.
Justice Sant Parkash, chairperson of the human rights commission, took suo motu cognizance of the case and requested reports from the SSPs of Chandigarh and Mohali.
Director of School Education, Harsuhinder Pal Singh Brar, described the incident as “very unfortunate” and said the department would await the police report.
The student’s family refused to cremate the body on Monday, demanding an FIR against the Chandigarh ASI and school authorities. Although they initially moved towards the Zirakpur cremation ground, they later halted the proceedings in protest.
