A 22-year-old Dalit girl, Diksha, from Fartia Bhim village in Bhiwani, Haryana, allegedly died by suicide after being denied permission to appear for her exams due to unpaid fees.
According to Diksha’s father, Jagdish, she was unable to appear for her fifth-semester exams at a private college earlier this month because of a pending fee of ₹35,000, which included dues for the current year. “I requested the college authorities to give more time to pay the fee, but the request was turned down,” he was quoted as saying by the Tribune.
On the night of December 24, Diksha took her life by hanging herself from a ceiling fan. Her family immediately contacted the police, and the body was cremated the following day. The police initially registered a suicide case, but on December 27, Jagdish filed a formal complaint, alleging that the pressure from the college over the fee led his daughter to take the extreme step.
In response to the allegations, the college owner, Hanuman Singh, denied any wrongdoing. “The accusations against us are baseless. We are ready to cooperate with the police for a thorough investigation,” he said.
The Bhiwani police have now registered a case against four individuals, including the college owner, his son, daughter, and the college principal. Loharu SHO Jitender Singh confirmed that the FIR was filed based on the father’s complaint, and an investigation is underway.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com.