The death of a Class XII girl student of a private school in Kallakurichi district on July 13 prima facie appeared to be “a clear case of suicide” and not of rape and murder, as suspected by her parents, the Madras High Court has said.
The death led to large-scale riots and ransacking of public as well as private property worth several crores of rupees on July 17.
However, Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan did not find any material to suspect foul play when he sifted through the medical as well as other evidence, including a reported suicide note, while granting bail to the school correspondent, secretary, principal and two women teachers who were arrested following the violence.
Though the bail was granted last week, a detailed order, incorporating the reasons and the conditions, was released on Monday. The judge recalled that two post-mortems had been conducted on the body of the girl since her parents had doubted the genuineness of the first post-mortem and approached the High Court raising suspicions over her death.
Subsequently, when they insisted on a third post-mortem, too, by including a forensic expert of their choice, the court did not accept their request but ordered a review of the two post-mortem reports by a team of experts from Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Puducherry. The two post-mortem reports had concluded that the girl appeared to have died of the injuries sustained on her person. JIPMER experts, too, concurred with the findings. Stating that the injuries could have been sustained when the girl jumped from the third floor of the school building, the judge said there was no evidence of rape and murder.
He said the prosecution’s case, too, was that the girl had jumped from the third floor. However, it had booked the administrators of the school and the teachers on the charge of abetment, besides invoking the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, and the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.
Apology to friends
Extracting the entire suicide note where the girl had reportedly expressed difficulties in solving chemistry problems and the pressure put on her, as well as other students, by the teachers to perform well in academics, the judge pointed out that the note had insisted on returning the fees to her parents and contained an apology to her friends and others.
“Therefore, it is a clear case of suicide by her,” Justice Ilanthiraiyan wrote. A red colour mark found near the staircase on the third floor was found to be of paint and not of blood. Regretting the death of the student, the judge said it was unfortunate that the teachers had to be imprisoned for over 45 days for no fault of theirs.
“It is unfortunate and a sorry state of affairs that teachers are facing threat from students and parents. It is very unfortunate that the petitioners had been arrested and imprisoned for advising the students to study well, which is part and parcel of the teaching profession, and it would not amount to abetment to suicide,” the judge added.
Tense situation
Taking into consideration the tense situation prevailing at Kaniyamoor in Kallakurichi, the judge directed school correspondent E.C. Ravikumar, his wife R.S. Shanthi and principal Sivasankaran to stay in Madurai for four weeks and teachers Kiruthi Jeyaraj alias Keerthika Jayaraj and L. Haripriya to reside in Salem for four weeks and report before the police.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)
