The statements of the parents of a Class XII student of a Christian missionary school in Thanjavur district, who died by suicide recently, were recorded by a judicial magistrate in Thanjavur on January 23 in compliance with the Madras High Court’s direction.
The parents appeared before the Judicial Magistrate-III in Thanjavur and gave their statements, which were recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The process went on for two hours, police sources said.
A copy of the statements will be submitted to the Madurai Bench of the High Court in a sealed envelope on January 24. The girl, belonging to Ariyalur district, was staying at the school hostel near the institution. After the emergence of a video clip in which she claimed that two years ago, the school asked her parents to convert her to Christianity, the BJP launched protests and urged the government to ensure a fair probe into the charge. The parents filed a petition alleging that she was forced to carry out domestic chores at the hostel and asked to convert to Christianity.
The police sources said the statements of some students had been recorded in the presence of members of the Child Welfare Committee. And the statements of some teachers had also been recorded as part of the investigation. A woman Deputy Superintendent of Police was heading the investigation.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)
