Supreme Court questions Bhopal shooting academy suicide, seeks autopsy report | Latest News India

The Supreme Court has asked for the autopsy report in a case of an alleged suicide of a 17-year-old at a Bhopal shooting academy in December, and an affidavit from the Madhya Pradesh Police to explore the possible murder angle, questioning whether someone could shoot themselves in the chest with a rifle.

A bench of justices Manoj Misra and Ujjal Bhuyan cited the prosecution’s case and said it appears the 17-year-old died by suicide using a rifle to shoot himself in the chest. “…To our understanding, whether a person would be able to use a rifle to shoot himself in the chest needs examination,” said the bench on Monday as it issued a notice on his father’s appeal challenging the Madhya Pradesh high court’s decision to grant anticipatory bail to the main accused.

Police registered an abetment to suicide case against a senior at the academy based on a suicide note. The accused was granted pre-arrest bail in January.

The bench, which will hear the matter next on September 15, directed the state to furnish the autopsy report and detail the material collected during the investigation, seizure, and the length of the rifle.“We deem it appropriate to require the state to file an affidavit [stating] whether the investigating agency has investigated all aspects of the matter, including [the] possibility of a murder.”

The father’s petition said the high court trivialised the incident of suicide and blamed the 17-year-old, in a sense, for not being able to handle the pressure the accused and other individuals created upon him. “…has even gone ahead and defended the action of the accused person.”

The father said the seniors ragged his son and wrongly charged him with theft of ₹40,000. He added that the academy warden was aware of the humiliation and torture that led to suicide.

The First Information Report was filed a month after the 17-year-old died. The father said the accused are influential and have political links.

The 17-year-old enrolled at the academy for shotgun shooting training. He spoke to his friend and sister on December 1, 2024, and told them he was depressed over the false allegations to ruin his career and embarrass him. His WhatsApp chats revealed the names of those who allegedly harassed him before he died by suicide.