Adding to the series of schoolgirl deaths in Tamil Nadu over the past couple of weeks, a Class 11 student was found dead at her home in Sivakasi yesterday. This is suspected to be a case of suicide.
A police officer said in a news report, “We will not say anything till this investigation is completed.”
The girl was found hanging at her home. No suicide note has been found yet. An officer said she often suffered from severe stomach ache.
Three Class 12 girls and now a Class 11 girl have died in the state in the past two weeks — three of them in the past two days.
The incident in Sivakasi occurred hours after a Class 12 student was found dead in Cuddalore district.
In a four-page suicide note, the Cuddalore student blamed her “inability to fulfil IAS aspirations placed on her by her parents”, said Police Inspector Karthik.
Concerned by the recurrent deaths, Chief Minister M K Stalin yesterday appealed to girl students to shun suicidal thoughts. “Girls should never be pushed to suicidal thoughts. Turn trials into accomplishments,” he said, adding that tough action would be taken against those involved in sexual, mental and physical harassment of students.
On Monday, a Class 12 student of Sacred Heart Girls Higher Secondary School in Tiruvallur district was found dead at her hostel. No suicide note was recovered.
The first of these four deaths was reported on July 13 in Kallakurichi district. The death of the student at a private residential school had sparked violent protests and arson that left several people, including senior police officers, injured.
Five people, including the school’s principal and two teachers, were arrested in the Kallakurichi case after police found a note that accused two teachers for “humiliating her for her academic performance”.
The girl’s parents, however, alleged that the crime scene had signs of physical struggle and moved court. The Madras High Court then ordered a repeat autopsy.
The high court also ordered that deaths in educational institutions be investigated by the CB-CID.
