Nirupama Pathak committed suicide: Probe report

The death of Delhi-based journalist Nirupama Pathak on April 29 last year was a case of suicide. Her suicide was allegedly abetted by three of her family members and boyfriend, the police said in its probe report submitted to a local court in Koderma on Tuesday.

Koderma Superintendent of Police G Kranti Kumar told newsmen on Wednesday that the investigation report was submitted to the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Ajit Kumar.

Kumar said the probe report suggested that arrest warrants should be issued against Nirupama's father Dharmendra Prathak, mother Sudha, brother Samarendra and boyfriend Priyansu Ranjan under Section 306 (abetting the commission of suicide).

He said investigations conducted at a forensic laboratory in Kolkata found that the suicide note was signed by Nirupama, whose body was found at her native place at Chitra Gupta Nagar Colony at Jhumri Telaiya in Koderma on April 29 last year.

Nirupama's mother Sudha Pathak was arrested soon after the incident. Her boyfriend accused the family of killing their daughter after allegedly opposing their marriage.

Initially, a case of murder was filed and Sudha was arrested but the forensic investigation in Kolkata and analysis of the suicide note by a handwriting expert established that the note had been signed by Nirupama.

Nirupama's father was posted in Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh as branch manager of a nationalised bank and her brother was employed with the Income Tax department in Mumbai. Sudha remained in judicial custody for three months before being granted bail as the police failed to file a charge-sheet within the stipulated 90 days.