Son Caught Cheating: Police Sub-Inspector Vandalises Dehradun Polytechnic College Office, Threatens Staff - Watch

The sanctity of educational institutions and the safety of academic staff have become flashpoints of intense public debate in Uttarakhand following a violent altercation at a public college. While invigilators and institution boards are legally tasked with ensuring fair assessment practices, a recent confrontation in Dehradun highlights the severe dangers educators face when administrative discipline clashes with influential personal backgrounds. The entire chaotic episode, caught clearly on institutional CCTV cameras, has triggered massive outrage within the local academic community.


The trouble originally began on June 4, 2026, during the final-year civil engineering examinations at a polytechnic college located in Pitthuwala, Dehradun. According to faculty members, a student named Kabir Kandwal was reprimanded by exam invigilators after being caught attempting to communicate with fellow examinees and manipulate the testing process. Following standard academic protocol for unfair means, the student was penalised and directed to submit a formal written explanation regarding his conduct to the examination board.

The Assault and Vandalism Inside the Control Room

The academic disciplinary action escalated into a major law-and-order situation the following day on June 5. Police officials and college administrators confirmed that the student’s father, Mahesh Kandwal who was serving as a police sub-inspector (SI) within the telecommunications unit allegedly stormed into the examination control room accompanied by four aggressive associates.

• Staff Manhandled: According to college principal Avinash Jain, the group forcibly entered the premises, began destroying official college property, and severely threatened staff members with dire consequences.
  
• Injuries Sustained: Four faculty members reportedly sustained physical injuries during the brief, violent confrontation before campus security could de-escalate the situation.
  

The Counter-Claims and Legal Backlash

As news of the high-handedness spread, faculty members staged an intense protest on campus, wearing black armbands to demand an impartial probe, strict legal accountability, and an absolute guarantee of workplace safety. Following the widespread outrage, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Dobal issued orders suspending SI Mahesh Kandwal on June 7 pending a comprehensive internal enquiry.

However, the case has taken a complex legal turn as both sides have filed severe criminal counter-complaints against each other. In his cross-FIR, the suspended police officer claimed that his son had actually objected to college staff facilitating mass cheating for selected students. He alleged that in retaliation, four faculty members wrongfully confined his son in an isolated room for several hours and physically assaulted him. Acting on the cop's complaint, the police registered an FIR against the teachers under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections relating to voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful confinement, and criminal intimidation.

Demands for Strict Action

Despite the officer's counter-claims, the college administration and teacher associations are standing firm, pointing to the CCTV footage as definitive proof of unprovoked institutional vandalism. The college principal stated that a comprehensive report detailing the student’s cheating violation and the subsequent assault has been compiled for the higher education department to initiate strict academic expulsion or suspension measures.

With local police handling both sensitive investigations simultaneously, academic unions have warned that they will monitor the case progression closely to ensure that uniform legal parameters are applied regardless of the accused individual's professional position in uniform.