The police have sought permission from the special court for the trial of cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in Coimbatore to conduct further investigation into death by suicide of a Class XII student from the city in November 2021, allegedly after she was sexually assaulted by her teacher and two neighbours. The police informed the court that there were hints that another person might have also been involved in a similar offence against the girl. The permission was sought to investigate the findings in detail, said an official. The girl aged 17 ended her life on November 11, 2021, after mentioning the names of perpetrators in a note. The note read that a teacher and a few others should not be spared. The police arrested the teacher, Mithun Chakravarthy (31), a day after the girl’s death on November 12. He was accused of having sexually assaulted the girl on the premises of a private school in Coimbatore when she was in Class XI. The police arrested the principal of the private school, Meera Jackson alias Mini Jackson, on November 14 on charges of having failed to report the sexual assault by the teacher to the police. On August 4, 2022, the police arrested two neighbours of the student, Muhammad Sultan (70) and Manoraj (58), on charges of sexually assaulting her. The alleged sexual assault happened to the girl at the ages of eight and nine, when the parents of the girl used to leave her under the care of neigbours when they went for work. Court sources said that the inspector of the All Women Police Station, Coimbatore West, has submitted chargesheet against the four persons and the trial proceedings are underway. (Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)
