Indore college students circulate fake letter about principal's 'death' to stall exams; 2 booked

Some students of a prestigious government college in Indore allegedly created a fake letter about their principal's "death" and circulated it on social media platforms in a bid to stall exams, a police official said on Thursday.

A case has now been filed against two students of the college for allegedly creating the fake letter and circulating it on social media a couple of days ago, he stated.

Bhanwarkuan police station in-charge Rajkumar Yadav said the case was filed on Wednesday night against two third-semester Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) students based on a complaint from Dr Anamika Jain, principal of the Government Holkar Science College.

He informed that the FIR was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 336(4) (intentionally fabricating a false document with intent to defame a person), a provision which attracts imprisonment up to three years and also a fine if convicted.

The two accused, as part of an alleged conspiracy to halt online exams for regular assessments of students and postpone classes, created a false letter claiming the "death" of the college principal and circulated it on social media on October 14, according to the police officer.

A college official said the letter, titled "Important Information," was created by copying the institute's letterhead and stated that due to the "sudden demise" of Principal Jain, online exams scheduled for October 15-16 have been postponed and classes for all subjects have also been suspended.

When contacted, Jain said, "My family and I are extremely distressed after this fake letter was circulated on social media. Believing the letter to be genuine, many people even visited my home to express their condolences." She said the police should take strict legal action against the two accused to prevent such incidents in the future.

Without naming anyone, the principal alleged some disgruntled elements in the college have been harassing her through various malicious activities in an attempt to prevent her from discharging her official duties.