Mystery continues to shroud PU student’s death

Aarti Kapur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 25

“Dad, I have received the cash deposited by you in my account for the fee.” This was the last interaction Lovleen, a student of the University Institute of Legal Studies, Panjab University, who was found dead in her hostel room, had with her father Tarlochan Singh on Wednesday on the telephone.

“I don’t know what happened to my daughter,” said Tarlochan Singh outside the mortuary of Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16. He was carrying 10 photographs in which Lovleen is seen receiving awards for excelling in academics during her school days.

Narender Patial, SHO of the Sector 11 police station, said the cause of the death could not be ascertained in the postmortem report. “We have sent the viscera to the CFSL for examination. So far, no foul play is suspected in the matter,” he said.

Her project papers were lying on the table in her hostel room when her father visited the room this morning. Students residing adjacent to her room said she had a long chat with them while having coffee last night and then went to her room to study.

Her father said her dream was to pursue law and had stood third in the PU entrance. Lovleen’s elder sister is doing BSc (non-medical) in Gurdaspur while her younger sister is a Class IV student. Her father deals in electronic products while her mother is a government teacher in Gurdaspur.

On Sunday, Tarlochan Singh had visited her at Hostel No. 5. They had lunch together. She, along with her father, clicked selfies in the hostel garden, which she later posted on her elder sister’s WhatsApp account. Her uncle said in a recent internal exam, Lovleen was upset about having scored one mark less than what she expected in a subject.

The department held a condolence meeting today.

PU DSW JK Goswami said four wardens would attend the cremation of the girl at her native place tomorrow.

Lovleen’s uncle had posted a message on the family WhatsApp group on Thursday, which she hadn’t seen.