TN Student Death: Mother Claims Foul Play by School, School Blames Her for Riots

The girl, studying in class 12, left behind a note alleging that she was being tortured by two teachers.

School secretary Shanthi blamed the deceased student's mother for the violence that broke out in Tamil Nadu's Chinnasalem on Sunday, 17 July.

(Photo Courtesy: TNM)

Amid uproar over the death of a student in a hostel in Tamil Nadu, the mother of the deceased girl claimed that no blood was found at the spot where she was found dead even as the school authorities maintained that she jumped from the third storey of the building.

"When we went to see our child at the hospital, we noticed that her head was bleeding. Her clothes had blood stains in many places. They (school management) claim she fell from the third floor, but then how are her hands and legs intact but her head is bleeding so much?"

Mother of deceased student

"When we went to the school, we noticed that there was no blood at the spot she was found dead," she added.

The 17-year-old girl, studying in class 12 in a private residential school in Chinnasalem, was found dead on 13 July on the hostel premises. She also left behind a note alleging that she was being tortured by two teachers.

The girl, a resident on the third floor of the hostel, was earlier suspected to have ended her life by jumping from the top floor. However, a post-mortem report reportedly indicated that she had sustained injuries before her death.

The girl's mother told reporters that neither the teachers nor the principal met the family. "By the time we reached the hospital, they had brought in a force of several policemen," she added.

Huge protests had broken out in Chinnasalem on Sunday over the student's death, which saw demonstrators setting fire to vehicles and pelting stones.

Following the protests, school principal Shiva Sankaran, correspondent Ravikumar, and secretary Shanthi were arrested by the police in the case.

'Why Did She Instigate Such Violence Against Us?': School Blames Mother for Riots

In a video uploaded on Sakthi Matric Hr Sec School's purported Facebook page, Shanthi, the school's secretary, can be heard blaming the dead student's mother for the riots.

"Why did she (mother) instigate such violence against us by spreading false information in social media platforms about the school while we were in the police custody? By spreading false information and instigating people, the mob burnt buses, chairs and tables. They also burnt the original certificates of the students who are studying in the school. They have spoiled the lives of around 3500 students here," Shanti alleged.

The secretary also accused the mother of ruining the "hard-earned reputation of the school."

After stating that the school had no role to play in the student's death, Shanti went on to allude that phone conversations between the mother and her daughter would reveal the exact reason of the death. "Common people should demand that the calls between the mother and daughter be traced and looked at. Then we will know the reason for her death. Everything the mother says is not true," she said.

Shanthi also stated in the video that the school is cooperating with the police probe and has submitted video footages of the day of the incident as well as the preceding and following days.

During the four-minute video, no condolences were expressed over the teenager's death.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister MK Stalin appealed to the people to maintain peace and assured them that those guilty would be punished.