Class-11 student’s suicide: CM directs Ludhiana DC to conduct inquiry

 A day after a Class-11 student of a private school in Dhandari committed suicide, chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh took to Twitter and directed the Ludhiana deputy commissioner (DC) to personally look into the matter.

In the tweet, Capt Amarinder Singh wrote, “Deeply anguished to hear of a Class-11 student committing suicide after facing harassment by teachers at school. Have directed the Ludhiana DC to personally look into the matter and report to me. My thoughts are with the family in this time of grief.”

In a 52-second video recorded before taking the extreme step, the student was seen accusing the school authorities of physically and mentally torturing him. “I am going to commit suicide. Love you mom, dad; I will miss you friends. I am helpless due to the mental and physical torture I am facing from the school,” he had said in the video, which is now being circulated on the social media.

The police have booked the school’s director, principal and a teacher for abetment to suicide. 

The accused have been identified as SGD Grammer Senior Secondary School director Prabhu Dutt, school principal Saroj Sharma, and teacher Poonam. 

The case was registered on the basis of the statement of the deceased’s father, who is a factory labourer.

He had informed that on Wednesday, his son went to school wearing short pants but his teacher Poonam found it inappropriate and asked him to leave the class and later took him to the principal’s office. 

“In the principal’s office, Saroj called her husband Pabhu Dutt, who tied my son’s hands with his tie and thrashed him. He also made him remove his pant,” said the deceased’s father while adding that his son didn’t go to school on Thursday and had not eaten food the entire day. 

On the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, the teen went to his room and hanged himself from a hook fixed with the ceiling. The deceased’s mother, who was in an inconsolable state, said her son had been depressed after the incident. 

Deputy commissioner Pradeep Agrawal said a team, comprising sub-divisional magistrate Amarjit Bains, Daba station house officer and principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Dhandari Kalan, has been formed to investigate the matter and file a report.

“The district education officer will also monitor the investigation,” he said. 

Inspector Pavitar Singh, Daba station house officer, said an inquiry is being conducted.

However, no arrest has been made as the three accused are on the run. He said that after the postmortem of the deceased, the body was handed over to the family and cremation was conducted.