Twist in Kochi teen’s ‘suicide’? Father seeks probe into what happened at flat where boy lived with mother, stepfather
The 15-year-old’s mother had earlier alleged he committed suicide because of bullying he endured at school.
3 min read
According to his mother, the teenager jumped from the 26th floor of his apartment building in Kochi on January 15 following ragging and “humiliation” from his schoolmates over his skin colour. The father of a 15-year-old boy, who allegedly died by suicide after facing assault and harassment from schoolmates in Kochi, has called for a probe into what happened at the apartment where the boy was living with his mother and stepfather.
According to his mother, the teenager jumped from the 26th floor of his apartment building in Kochi on January 15 following ragging and “humiliation” from his schoolmates over his skin colour. The mother had petitioned police regarding his alleged treatment by his schoolmates and raised allegations against the vice-principal of another school where he had studied until October last year.
The boy’s death triggered widespread outrage in Kerala, with several celebrities joining a campaign seeking justice for the boy.
However, his father, who divorced the boy’s mother years earlier, has filed a police complaint asking for a probe into the circumstances surrounding his death.
In his January 21 complaint, days before the mother approached the police, the father said he had constantly been in touch with his son, who never indicated having any issues in school. A day before the boy’s death, he had promised to talk the next day, the father said.
The father said the boy had happily returned from school on the day of his death, and the suggestion that he then jumped to his death without any provocation raised doubts.
“It is difficult to believe that the boy had certain issues with classmates and that prompted him to take the extreme step. What happened at the apartment and who all were present at the flat must be probed into. I want the truth behind my son’s death to be brought out,” the father claimed in the complaint.
The father claimed that his son had been on a phone call with his stepfather before his death and that the boy had hung up, after which the stepfather tried to get in touch with him through the house help’s phone but wasn’t successful. “His life with the family (mother and stepfather) was tense, which was evident from his chats with me. I was not informed when he was moved” from his previous school, the father claimed.
Thrikkakara Assistant Police Commissioner P V Baby said police were looking at all angles. “We are verifying the veracity of the allegations from both sides and scrutinising the evidence,” he said.
A member of the boy’s mother’s family said, “Let the police find out the truth. We have nothing to say regarding the allegations raised by the boy’s father.”
His school has rejected allegations of ragging and said it was open to any investigation.
The boy’s mother had alleged that he was forcibly taken to a washroom, where was made to lick the toilet seat and that his head was pushed into the toilet, which was flushed.
The school said it conducted an investigation into the allegations, collecting statements from teachers and classmates regarding the alleged bullying, but found no evidence or eyewitnesses regarding such an incident.
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