A 17-year-old boy of R.C. Higher Secondary School at Moonjikkal near here committed suicide by hanging himself on Wednesday as he could not pay a portion of the fees.
The boy’s relatives and volunteers from various rights organisations on Thursday refused to accept the body demanding suspension of school headmistress as her verbal abuse, they alleged, had pushed him to commit suicide.
The Kodaikanal police have registered a case under section suicide 174 Cr. PC only.
Meanwhile, Chief Educational Officer K. Subhashini made enquiries with the headmistress. The police and revenue officials too conducted an inquiry in this connection.
P. Rajeshwaran’s mother P. Saroja, a destitute widow working in a hotel in the town, alleged that her son was humiliated because he could not pay the total fees. School authorities said that the headmistress merely asked the boy to bring his mother to school.
A five-member fact-finding team comprising S. Annadurai, Rajesh Mani, Devanathan, and Justin — all from NGOs and Para Legal Aid Volunteer Annie Paulin, after enquiry, said headmistress Mangaiyarkarasi reportedly abused the boy in front of other students asking him to leave the school and bringing his mother to school.
When his mother contacted the school from work place and explained her position, the headmistress reportedly behaved rudely with her. When Saroja returned home in the evening, she found her son hanging. Ex-students and parents told the team that the headmistress often abused students, said Mr. Annamalai.
During the enquiry by the fact-finding team, the school correspondent, Jerome Erominus, refuted all charges and instead charged that there could be something wrong with the boy, he added.
Later, revenue and police officials held talks with relatives in this connection in vain as relatives demanded registration of a case under section 306 against the headmistress. The body was lying in mortuary in the Government Hospital. Further investigation is on.
The State’s health helpline 104 provides anti-suicide counselling and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline is 044-24640050.
