(If you feel suicidal or know someone in distress, please reach out to them with kindness and call these numbers of local emergency services, helplines, and mental health NGOs.)
Reporter: Smitha TK
Video Editor: Harpal Rawat
Video Producer: Naman Shah
A class 12 student was found dead inside the hostel of a private school in Tamil Nadu's Thiruvallur district on Monday, 25 July.
Police personnel have been deployed at the premises of the private school in Mappedu amid protests by her parents and relatives.
A probe into the incident is underway.
Officials said that heavy security has also been deployed in her village in Tiruttani to prevent any law and order situation and maintain peace.
Meanwhile, the girl's family and relatives of the girl blocked the Tiruttani-Pothatturpettai road. As per reports, they claimed the school management did not provide them with proper details about the girl’s death.
The deceased student's sister, Gayathri said, "We suspect that there is something that is yet to be revealed. We won't take her body without knowing what exactly happened to her. She isn't someone who can commit suicide. She spoke to our family last night as well," ANI reported.
Speaking about the incident, M Sathya Priya, deputy inspector general of police (DIG), Kancheepuram range, said, "We received a complaint today morning that a Class 12 girl died by suicide. We conducted the inquiry on the spot and registered an FIR of unnatural death case. The case has now been transferred to CB-CID. We conducted a preliminary inquiry of the students in the school."
This is the second such case that has emerged from Tamil Nadu in the past two weeks. Before this, the death of a 17-year-old girl at a private school in Kallakurichi on 13 July had elicited widespread outrage in the state.
Five people, including the school principal and two teachers, were arrested in the Kallakurichi case after the police found a note in which she had blamed two teachers for torturing her.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)