12-year-old girl found hanging at home in Gandhinagar, police probe underway

A 12-year-old girl studying in Class 6 was found hanging from a ceiling fan at her residence in Vir Bhagat Singh Nagar, near Sector 7 police station in Gandhinagar, on Tuesday afternoon. The incident has left the neighbourhood in shock as police began investigating into the circumstances that led to the child’s death.

According to police officials, the deceased lived with her parents, Jagdish Gohil, an assistant in the statistics department at MS Building, and his wife, Jagrutiben, who works in the private sector. The couple has two children, a 16-year-old son and the deceased daughter, both studying at a local Gurukul school.

As per the preliminary investigation, the parents had gone to work on Tuesday morning after sending both children to school. Around 1 pm, Jagdish returned home for lunch with the children before leaving again for work. Around 2.30 pm, the elder son left for tuition, after which Jagdish locked the house from outside, a routine practice, police said, leaving the 12-year-old alone inside.

When Jagrutiben returned home around 4.30 pm, she unlocked the main door but found one of the bedroom doors bolted from the inside. Despite repeated knocks and calls, there was no response from her daughter. Alarmed, she immediately called her husband. When Jagdish arrived, he looked through the window and saw his daughter hanging from the ceiling fan with a dupatta tied around her neck.

The couple broke open the door and rushed the child to Gandhinagar Civil Hospital in a 108 ambulance, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.

Police personnel, including ASI Ratnalal and Head Constable Umesh Rathod from Sector 7 police station, reached the hospital and began preliminary inquiries. “We have registered a case of accidental death and initiated further investigation. The exact cause of death will be confirmed after the postmortem,” said ASI Ratnalal.

He added that the family had recently returned from a trip to Rajasthan just the previous night, and there had been no reported disputes or unusual behaviour from the child before the incident. “The parents are in a state of deep shock. Their statements have been recorded, and we are also examining the possibility of any emotional or academic stress the girl may have faced,” he said.

Neighbours described the family as quiet and well-settled, with both children known to be disciplined students. Police officials said they would also consult counsellors to assess if any underlying issues could have led to the tragedy.

The body has been sent for postmortem, and police have initiated an investigation.