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‘Targeted harassment’ by teachers: Distressing revelations in Delhi teen suicide
The 16-year-old boy jumped from an elevated metro station in West Delhi on Tuesday afternoo.
A Class 10 student of of a prominent school in central Delhi allegedly died by suicide on Tuesday, leaving behind a note accusing his teachers and headmistress of harassment.
The 16-year-old boy jumped from an elevated metro station in West Delhi during afternoon. The handwritten note in his bag, found by the police team examining the incident, identified the teachers and headmistress who, the boy said, had persistently mistreated him.
Following this, a case was registered against the concerned school staffers under sections 107 (abetment to suicide) and 3(5) (common intention of criminal act) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Three staffers and headmistress of the school were suspended with immediate effect on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Directorate of Education under the Delhi government had formed a five-member committee to probe the incident, chaired by joint director Harshit Jain. The committee will submit its report within three days.
Revelations in case
-Boy faced ‘targeted harassment’ for months
According to the student's friends and family members, the boy had faced “targeted harassment” in the days leading up to the incident, and the school had ignored the warning signs.
Investigators are looking at CCTV footage from the school as well as the metro station, an earlier HT report quoted a senior officer aware of the case. The officer said that the investigators had “spoken to multiple students already and will continue to record statements.”
-Student informed counselor about his thoughts
The student's father told HT that according to his friends, the boy had in the past confided in the school counsellor about his thoughts. The father said that while the boy had also spoken to his friends, he had not shared any such thoughts with the family.
"His friends shared that he had shared about his suicidal thoughts with the counsellor but she dismissed it," the student's uncle said.
-Classmate says boy was “being bullied” by teachers
A classmate of the student corroborated with whatever he had written in the one-and-a-half page note in his bag, saying that the boy was “indeed being bullied by the teachers.”
“My friend had told the counsellor about his problems and we were going to lodge a formal complaint with the headmistress in the next two-three days,” the student said, while not confirming whether the victim had told him this directly.
The boy's father said he had again shared on Monday, a day before the incident, that he was being troubled. “I told him that we’ll change his school after the board exams as he was in class 10,” the father said, adding that the student had been repeatedly threatened with expulsion.
-Parents called over minor issues, allege students
Other students of the school alleged that parents are called to the school over minor issues. “They call our parents for minor issues, like if we spill water in the class,” a student said. The student further claimed that the teachers use “abusive language openly” in the class and dismiss students.
The 16-year-old's father also said he had been called to the school about three months ago regarding a minor issue. “They said he talks in class and I told them if kids his age wouldn’t then who would,” the father said. He added that he had told the teachers to not pressure their child over marks, adding that the parents were okay with the boy's scores.
-CCTV footage shows boy guided a woman on metro platform
CCTV footage from the spot shows that right before the incident, the boy had guided a woman standing on the platform of the metro station.
“The video showed him put his bag down, walk for about two-and-a-half minutes, even helping guide a woman on the platform,” the boy's uncle said. He added that thereafter, the boy went to speak to the guard, and jumped when the guard “briefly looked away.”
If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918, Roshni Foundation (Secunderabad) Contact Nos: 040-66202001, 040-66202000, ONE LIFE: Contact No: 78930 78930, SEVA: Contact No: 09441778290
