Chandigarh cop suspended after minor's suicide allegations

A police officer in Chandigarh has been suspended two days after a Class 11 student died by suicide. The officer, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Gurdev Singh, is accused of physically assaulting the minor during questioning related to a cybercrime case. The suspension came after a review found flaws in how the officer handled the case. He was in uniform while questioning the minors and did not involve any child rights organizations in the inquiry. This incident started with a complaint in December 2024 about a fake Instagram account that posted offensive material against teachers. The account included abusive content and doctored images. Investigators traced the account back to the father of one of the involved students. When the father and two minors were called to the police station, they reported that the minor who created the account faced harassment during questioning. The family of the deceased student alleges that this harassment led to the boy’s suicide on March 23. The police denied these claims, stating that the questioning was done in a common area with teachers and parents present. However, protests from the victim's family and the community led to the ASI's suspension. After his suspension, the family held the cremation for their son on Tuesday.