The Uttarakhand High Court has intervened in the investigation concerning the death of an 18-year-old student at Graphic Era Hill University in Bhimtal, directing the state government to submit a comprehensive investigation report. Justice Rakesh Thapliyal, presiding over the matter, has further sought an explanation from authorities regarding the initial refusal to register a case, which compelled the victim’s family to seek legal recourse in another state.
The court’s directions come in response to a petition filed by the father of the deceased, a second-year BCA student who was found unconscious in her hostel room last year. The petitioner alleges a systemic failure by both college and local police authorities to address serious complaints of ragging and molestation preceding his daughter’s death.
The student, a resident of Lucknow, was enrolled at Graphic Era Hill University’s Bhimtal campus. According to the petition, she had frequently expressed distress over incidents of ragging by senior students. The father further claims that CCTV footage from the college gate allegedly shows his daughter being molested.
The incident surfaced when college officials informed the family that the student had been found unconscious in her hostel room. She was subsequently transported to a Community Health Centre (CHC), where doctors declared her brought dead. The college authorities characterized the death as occurring under “suspicious circumstances.”
A significant portion of the petition focuses on the alleged negligence of the Bhawali police. The petitioner claims that local police refused to register his complaint, allegedly acting under pressure from the university administration.
Left with no local assistance, the family approached the Lucknow Police, who registered a “Zero FIR”—a procedure allowing any police station to register a complaint regardless of jurisdiction before transferring it to the relevant station. While the Lucknow Police forwarded the matter to Bhawali for investigation, the petitioner argued before the High Court that the Bhawali police have continued to stall the probe.
During the hearing, Justice Rakesh Thapliyal questioned why the state authorities failed to act on the family’s initial complaint. The court expressed the need for clarity on the current status of the investigation and the specific reasons behind the procedural delays that forced the family to travel to Lucknow to initiate criminal proceedings.
The High Court has now mandated the state to provide the investigation report and an explanation for the conduct of the Bhawali police. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on April 28.
