A division bench comprising Justices Anil Dev Singh and Mukul Mudgal in a recent order said ``police should inquire from neighbours and friends of the deceased whether there was any threat to her life.''

The order came on a writ petition by a non-governmental organisation, `Hum Aapke', which challenged the police theory that Bano had committed ``suicide''.

Bano, who converted to Islam on June 13, 1996 was found dead at her room at Trilokpuri in east Delhi on June 10, 1998 and the police in its report had stated that she had consumed phosphorus pills to kill herself.

``There are reasons to believe that the girl was somehow put to death because she freely talked of her conscience and freedom of religion as is evident from the letters written by her to herfather and to Jamia Millia Islamia,'' the petition filed through advocate M Tahir Siddiqui said.

The police had not found any suicide note from Bano's residence, it said, adding ``her death was not a loss to Hindu or Muslim, but a loss of an innocent human being who was seemingly put to death or coerced to end her life by people opposed to her freedom of conscience.''

The petition said Bano was a major and had renounced the guardianship of her father whom she did not trust as was evident from her complaint against him with the police and her affidavit before an executive magistrate when she adopted the new faith on June 13, 1996.

It said after becoming a student of Jamia Millia Islamia in July 1995 she chose `Islamiat' as one of the subjects and started observing namaz and roza.

While half-way in her B.A. final examination, she was allegedly ``beaten'' by her father on June 29, 1998 in the presence of a police constable who had gone to her father's place following a complaint by Banoabout her harassment, `Hum Aapke' claimed.

She had also applied for hostel facility before the exams saying that she wanted to give her papers ``peacefully'' but could not avail the facility, the petition said.

However, police in its affidavit stated that one Dr Aftab Ahmed Khan, who was running a typing institution in Trilokpuri, had ``influenced'' Madhubala to convert to Islam as it was he who helped her to get admission in Jamia Millia Islamia.

The police also said that Madhubala had filed a complaint with it alleging that her father wanted to get her married to someone against her will.

Police claimed that she had committed ``suicide'' by taking poison and that a suicide note was recovered from her room.

``She had committed suicide because of her inability to perform Islamic rites,'' police said, adding the suicide note had been sent for examination by handwriting experts.