Medical Board Report Links Dharamshala College Death to Schizophrenia
A detailed medical report has shed new light on the tragic death of a 19-year-old student from Dharamshala Government College, who passed away in December last year after alleging sexual harassment and ragging. The report, compiled by a board of expert doctors, concludes that the deceased suffered from schizophrenia, a severe mental health disorder characterized by psychotic symptoms.
Court Grants Bail Based on Medical Findings
During an anticipatory bail hearing on February 17, the police submitted the medical board report to the District and Sessions Court in Dharamshala. The report states, "the deceased had longstanding behavioural symptoms, most likely a primary psychotic illness of Schizophrenia Spectrum and related disorders and later on superimposed with features of Encephalitis-like illness." Based on this evidence, the court granted bail to the accused teacher and two female students.
Sessions Judge Chirag Bhanu Singh noted in the court order that a medical report from Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College and Hospital in Tanda, submitted by the investigating agency, confirmed the presence of underlying psychiatric illness. The order detailed symptoms observed during her hospitalizations, including irrelevant talk, decreased sleep, self-harm attempts, shivering, tremors, crying episodes, visual hallucinations, aggressive behavior, excessive religiosity, and delusions of persecution.
Discrepancies in Allegations and Evidence
The court order further revealed inconsistencies in the case. According to the father's statement recorded under Section 173 of the BNS, the girl was ragged on September 18, 2025. However, call detail records indicated she was not present at the college or nearby on that day. Additionally, the deceased had failed three subjects in her first year and had not visited the college after July 29, 2025, following her failure to secure admission into the second year.
One of the accused students was also absent from Dharamshala from August 16 to September 25, 2025, further complicating the timeline of events. The court observed that one video implicating the teacher was recorded in October 2025 while the victim was admitted to Mahajan Medicity Hospital in Pathankot for mental disorder treatment. In another self-made video, she described her teacher as a nice person.
Police Investigation Criticized by Court
The court pulled up the police for "failing to collect anything conclusive to test the truthfulness of the 2 video clips," one of which implicated the teacher while the other absolved him. The order stated, "there is nothing on record to remotely show on whose phone the clips were captured, when and where these were made, and the authenticity of the same." It criticized investigators for not focusing on these videos, which were the basis of the police case against the teacher and students.
The court emphasized that if the investigating agency uncovers incriminating material, it could add severe sections to the FIR. The case was initially registered on January 1 based on a complaint by the girl's father, with charges under Sections 75 (sexual harassment), 115(2) (causing hurt), and 3(5) (common intention) of the BNS, along with Section 3 of the Himachal Pradesh Educational Institution (Prohibition of) Ragging Act 2009. This followed a viral social media video where the victim alleged inappropriate touching by the suspended teacher.
