DEHRADUN: Surendra Koli, who was acquitted in 2025 after spending nearly two decades in prison in connection with the Nithari killings, was found dead at his tea stall in Haridwar on Friday. While police initially suspect suicide, his family has alleged foul play and demanded a high-level investigation.
Koli’s post-mortem examination was conducted on Saturday in the presence of relatives and villagers who had travelled from Almora. They claimed the circumstances in which his body was found raised several questions and suggested that he might have been murdered.
Koli had come to Haridwar around three months ago and was reportedly living under the assumed name “Sadaram” to conceal his identity. According to people familiar with his circumstances, he had faced social ostracism and financial hardship even after his acquittal.
Just four days before his death, Koli had rented a kiosk from a man identified as Anil Sharma. He had begun running a small tea stall opposite the Lal Mata temple in an attempt to rebuild his life.
Former district panchayat member Narayan Singh Rawat, who accompanied Koli’s relatives to Haridwar, alleged that the physical circumstances did not appear consistent with suicide.
“The kiosk where Surendra’s body was found is not high enough for a person to hang himself in the manner being suggested,” Rawat said. “The knot around his neck also did not appear to be a typical hanging knot. There was blood around his mouth and nose, the rope appeared to have been cut evenly, and the shop’s shutter was open.”
“These circumstances indicate the possibility of a local conspiracy. We suspect that he was murdered, and the matter should be investigated by a senior-level agency,” he added. The allegations have not yet been independently verified.
Rawat said he had met Koli in Haridwar on September 7 and had provided him with financial assistance.
“Surendra wanted to stand on his own feet by running a tea stall and earning an honest living,” he said. “He received justice from the courts after 20 years, but he could not secure social or economic justice. He always maintained that he was innocent and had been falsely implicated.”
Haridwar City Circle Officer Shishupal Singh Negi said the exact cause of death would become clear only after the post-mortem report was received.
“The case is being examined thoroughly, and all relevant circumstances will be investigated,” Negi said.
Koli was at the center of nationwide shock and outrage when the Nithari serial murders surfaced in Noida in 2006, a case involving the tragic disappearance and killing of multiple children and young women.
