The death of a Plus-Two student in a school hostel in Namakkal sparked tension on Saturday.
Police said a preliminary inquiry revealed that S. Venkatesan (17), who belonged to Vadipatti in Madurai district, hung himself. He was upset over being admonished for allegedly trying to play a prank on a woman teacher under the pretext of conveying New Year wishes.
Agitated over his death, students in the hostel broke window panes in the hostel and school premises.
The management ordered closure of the school indefinitely. The police were deployed at the school and near Namakkal Bus Stand to prevent demonstrations by students or any organisation.
After preliminary inquiry, police said that the boy was found lying on the floor when the hostel authorities broke open the door. It was suspected that the rope was thin and would have got snapped under the boy’s weight.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Salem Range, Sanjay Kumar told The Hindu that the boy had already been suspended twice during this academic year on charges of misbehaviour.
On the alleged prank on the woman teacher, the management warned the boy and asked his parents to come on Saturday. The DIG said there was no foul play as the room in which he was found dead was locked from inside. A case had been registered under Section 174 (suspicious death) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Further investigations were on, he said.
In the evening, the boy’s parents arrived from Madurai and demanded that the school correspondent and a couple of teachers be arrested.
