HYDERABAD: High tension prevailed on the premises of Shanti Niketan School in Hayathnagar on Friday, following the suicide of a Class VIII student. The victim, a resident of Banjara Colony in Hayathnagar, had died by suicide at her home on Thursday evening, allegedly due to the humiliation she suffered in the school. She was allegedly asked to get out of the class for talking to her classmates and made to stand outside by her teacher.
The family and relatives of the 13-year-old approached the school and protested, demanding justice for the child, following which the Hayathnagar police took their statement and booked the management for abetment to suicide.
Hayatnagar inspector H. Venkateswarulu said, “On Thursday, her teacher, Vamsi, found her talking during the class and threw her out of the class. She was scolded and made to stand outside the class alone. Upon reaching home, when her family was not around, she allegedly died by suicide at about 7.30 pm.”
“My daughter was very sensitive and we never scolded her at home,” said her father, while standing in protest with other family members outside the school on Friday morning. The elder son is studying in Class X in the same school. Both the siblings go to school and come back together.
“On Thursday, I had to visit our hometown for personal work and I called home to check if the kids got home from school. However, when I called again, nobody at home answered. I called my neighbours to check if someone was home. The neighbours, after checking that the doors were open and nobody responded, entered the house to find my daughter’s body,” the father said.
“She would always tell me if something was bothering her. I should have stayed home to be there for her,” added her mother, who was out to meet a relative living nearby on Thursday evening.
The family only learnt about the punishment that the student underwent on Thursday night.
“On Friday morning, the family approached the school to protest and demanded justice. We took a statement, following which the case was altered from 174 (suspicious death) of CrPC to 306 (abetment to suicide) of the IPC and started a probe,” said Vanasthalipuram ACP K. Purushottam Reddy.
Shanti Niketan School made headlines about two years ago when a group of parents landed on the premises and assaulted their staff for being negligent during a school picnic organised by the management, wherein a few students were injured as they were left unattended by staff. The school management was unavailable for a comment.
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