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Journalism of Courage
Delhi Student Suicide News: Two days after a Class 10 student from Delhi’s St Columba’s School jumped to his death at the Rajendra Place metro station, with his family alleging later that he faced harassment from teachers, the institution placed four members of its teaching staff under suspension. The Delhi government also set up a “high-level” committee to probe the incident.
An official order, issued by the school’s principal Robert Fernandes, stated that the action against three teachers and a headmistress followed the registration of an FIR in the case while taking into consideration the “seriousness of the allegations” against them.
The order stated that the suspended staff must “not visit the school premises or interact with students, staff, or parents without prior written permission from the administration”. Principal Fernandes did not respond to requests from The Indian Express for comment.
On Thursday afternoon, the boy’s family conducted his last rites on Thursday afternoon at their hometown in Maharashtra’s Sangli after receiving the body from Delhi. Speaking to The Indian Express later, the boy’s father said his son had complained about the teachers soon after he began Class 10 — and that he had promised to admit him to a different school just a day before his death.
“He would tell me to get his school changed. I told him there were only ten days of school left and, after that, he had to go there only to appear for his exams. He wouldn’t even have to see his teachers that often. I promised I’d let him change schools next year,” he said.
Close friends and classmates of the boy said he was very creative, loved sports and would write film scripts in his free time. The father said his son wanted to become an actor and “loved extra curricular activities”, such as dancing and participating in Model United Nations sessions.
In the FIR, the father alleged that the school’s teaching staff had caused deep mental distress to his son, pushing him to take the drastic step. “Yesterday, (his) classmates told me that in the last four days, (a teacher) had threatened my son that she would call his parents and get his Transfer Certificate) done. (Another teacher) has also pushed my son,” the father alleged in the FIR.
According to the FIR, the student fell down during his dramatics class on Tuesday and was mocked by a teacher. “(The teacher) told him that he was overacting and doing drama… After that she said no matter how much he (the student) cried, it would not make a difference to her,” it alleged.
The FIR was registered under sections 107 (abetment to suicide) and 3(5) (common intent) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Metro) Kushal Pal Singh said they were verifying the roles of all those named in the FIR. “We have collected
the CCTV footage from the school to know the sequence of events,” Singh said.
During investigation, the police found a suicide note in the boy’s backpack in which he apologised to his family for taking his own life, saying, “What can I say, the teachers of my school are like this.” Officials said CCTV footage from the metro station has also been collected.
The Delhi government’s Directorate of Education stated that a “high-level” five-member panel would conduct a “thorough, objective and time-bound” probe into the details and circumstances surrounding the incident, and determine administrative accountability.
The committee, headed by Joint Director Harshit Jain and comprising senior education department officials and two school principals, has been directed to submit a comprehensive report, including recommendations, within three days.
(With Sophiya Mathew & Vidheesha Kuntamalla)
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