New Delhi: A video has emerged showing a 25-year-old Andaman & Nicobar resident, who allegedly killed herself on 30 July, accusing the Union Territory’s director general of police (DGP), three sub-inspectors and a journalist of “trapping her in criminal cases and harassing her”.
In the video that she purportedly shot before hanging herself, Deepika Kishen, a resident of Bambooflat in South Andaman district, alleged that DGP Satyendra Garg, three sub-inspectors — Masuma, Satveer, and Rama Krishna — and journalist Roopa Lal, were “after her life”.
“I am just 25, and tired of everything. I am finishing my life but I don’t want any police personnel to touch me… Rama Krishna, Roopa Lal, Masuma, Satveer, and the big one, the DGP, called me and trapped me,” she alleges in the video, which is available with ThePrint.
“I apologise to everyone I’ve hurt; I have been linked to a lot of people but I don’t want to take any more names,” she adds. “Today I am dying; I have named the people who are responsible for this. I have to save my family… These people are after my life and I am taking my life.”
The A&N Police, however, claimed that Deepika committed suicide due to “personal reasons”.
Police have claimed that Deepika was upset with Pankaj Kumar Rai, a sub-inspector with whom she was allegedly in a relationship, for having multiple affairs.
“Investigations done so far have prima facie revealed that the deceased was in a relationship with a sub-inspector of the A&N Police. It has also come to notice that this SI was simultaneously having a relationship with another woman. This made the deceased apprehensive,” the statement said, adding that Deepika accused the other woman of “ruining her life”.
Rai has been charged with Section 306 of the IPC (abetment to suicide); the FIR in the case was lodged on 3 August. Police said Rai is absconding and had moved a sessions court for anticipatory bail, which was rejected.
According to police, Deepika had also allegedly forged her educational documents to secure government jobs — first as a sculptor in ANIIMS (Andaman and Nicobar Islands Institute of Medical Sciences) in 2015 and then as an instructor in the education department in 2020.
Police added that a case of cheating and forgery was registered against her on 27 April this year. She was arrested on 28 April but was later granted bail. Police also claimed that in 2018, Deepika had been booked in a case of house theft.
In a tweet on 1 August, the Andaman and Nicobar Police said that a magisterial inquiry had been launched to probe her death.
A Magisterial Inquiry into cause of death of Deepika Kishen is already in progress. Anyone having information may appear & depose before Enquiry Magistrate.Any public statement on the issue may tantamount to interference with Magisterial inquiry. @BanerjeeProtima @manojpa50232808
— A & N Police (@AndamanPolice) August 1, 2021
DGP Garg told ThePrint that investigations are under way in the case. “The case is under investigation. It is not fair to comment on the issue until the investigations are complete,” Garg said.
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‘Had evidence against her, video is old’
Speaking to ThePrint, SI Satveer, who has been named in the video, denied allegations that he framed Deepika in criminal cases.
“I don’t know why she has named me. The only reason I can think of is that I was the one who arrested her in the 2018 house theft case,” he said. “I have not seen her since 2019 when we charge-sheeted the case. We had strong evidence against her.”
A senior police officer, who did not want to be named, said the complaint of forgery and cheating was filed against Deepika by social welfare organisations based in the UT, following which a case was registered against her and “evidence collected”.
SI Masuma, who too has been named, told ThePrint that she “is not allowed” to comment on the matter. She, however, claimed that the video in which Deepika has named the officer “appears to be old”.
When asked if the video was examined as part of the investigation to find out when it was shot, Masuma refused to elaborate further.
Making similar claims, a second police officer, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “We suspect the video is old and was probably shot two months before her death.”
ThePrint also reached SP City Ankit Chauhan, the investigating officer in the case, but he too refused to give out any details, on the grounds that the matter is “sensitive”. He also did not respond to the claims being made by police officers about the video being old.
Journalist Roopa Lal, who too has been named by Deepika, refused to comment and said that “she has strict orders not to share any views on comments on the same as the matter is under investigation”.
ThePrint also reached SI Rama Krishna and SI Pankaj Rai, Deepika’s alleged partner who is now the prime accused in the suicide case, via phone calls and text messages, but did not receive any response.
‘A conspiracy’
Speaking to ThePrint, Deepika’s brother, Deep Kishen, accused the policemen of hatching a conspiracy against her to “settle scores”.
Kishen claimed Deepika had married SI Rama Krishna in 2018 but later found out that he was already married.
She then filed a complaint against Krishna. Kishen alleged that Deepika’s troubles began right after and that she was framed in the house theft case.
“Rama Krishna got back at Deepika by framing her in a false case of house theft. They all ganged up against her because she filed an official complaint against the SI,” Kishen alleged.
He further alleged that SI Pankaj Rai first pretended to help her, gained her trust, and then “back-stabbed her”.
“Pankaj acted like he cared for her and then he also joined them (other policemen) and harassed her… How could she fight with so many officers? So she decided to end her life,” Deep Kishen said.
Deep Kishen also accused the policemen of “mentally harassing” Deepika.
In May, DGP Garg had tweeted about Kishen saying “forgery, crime runs in the family of Deepika Kishan”
FORGERY, CRIME RUNS IN FAMILY OF DEEPIKA KISHAN: Her mother, Gulab Devi was arrested in July, 2007, with 4 ASSOCIATES. 67 types of stamps and seals of different schools and blank certificates were seized. 3 associates had joined Government jobs on fake papers. CASE UNDER TRIAL.
— DGP A&N Islands (@DGPANIslands) May 4, 2021
On 5 May, he tweeted again, calling Deepika a “threat to society”, and accusing her of honey-trapping people.
While going through 17 Page complaint of a woman against Deepika Kishan who honey trapped her husband, did extortion, blackmail, intimidation one feels she is a threat to society. It has been mentioned that there have been a number of her victims including Police officials. SAD.
— DGP A&N Islands (@DGPANIslands) May 5, 2021
Following these tweets, Deepika’s legal counsel, Deep Chain Kabir, filed a petition in Calcutta High Court on 10 May, asking for the court’s intervention to refrain the DGP from making any comment on ongoing cases. An order was then passed by the court restraining police authorities from making any comment on the case on social media until 22 June.
The state challenged this order on 24 May. A two-judge bench, however, rejected the appeal against the interim order on 1 June. The case before the single judge has been pending since.
Deepika’s legal counsel, Deep Chain Kabir, refused to share any information on cases against her, citing “client confidentiality” and also refused to comment on her suicide.
(Edited by Arun Prashanth)
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