After receiving an e-mail in which father of the inmate who recently died mysteriously on April 15 in Balika Niketan refused to conduct her last rites, the investigating committee and the members of State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) conducted the cremation of the girl on Sunday at Lakkhibagh on Sunday.

The investigating committee which was constituted following the instructions of the State Minister for Women and Child Development is supposed to submit its report to the District Magistrate and the minister herself on Monday.

The inmate of Balika Niketan who allegedly committed suicide recently, was accused of murdering her mother. According to the sources the inmate was earlier in Nari Niketan but when the officials found out that she was a minor they transferred her to Balika Niketan. This resulted in her aloofness and loneliness. She wanted to be transferred back to Nari Niketan where she had reportedly made some acquaintance with fellow inmates. She was also concerned about her siblings, as she thought that they would be neglected once her father remarries. She was also reportedly heartbroken after her father, who had earlier promised to take her back home stopped coming to meet her.

It is pertinent to mention here that during her inspection after the alleged suicide, the chairperson of Uttarakhand State Commission for Women (USCW) Vijaya Barthwal on Saturday pointed out that both Balika Niketan and Nari Niketan do not have counsellors on campus. A team of doctors from Coronation hospital checks them once a week but there is no medical facility inside the campus. However, observers point out that had there been a full time counsellor especially for the juveniles, the girl could have received necessary counselling and help which would have prevented her from taking the drastic step.