A 17-year-old schoolgirl allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself at her home in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore. The class 12 student was allegedly harassed by her school teacher, repeatedly, after which she decided to take the drastic step. The incident has caused a huge uproar on social media, with friends and classmates of the deceased student staging protest in Coimbatore. #justiceforpontharani trends Twitter.
What, exactly happened?
The deceased was a Class 12 student at a private school in Samy Colony, Coimbatore's RS Puram area. Mithun Chakkaravarthi, the accused, used to teach Physics to Class 11 and 12 students.
He sexually assaulted the 17-year-old student in April 2021 after summoning her to the school under the pretext of holding special classes.
The minor girl informed the school administration of the teacher's heinous conduct, following which the teacher was fired and the school principal was transferred.
The survivor enrolled in another school in RS Puram. However, she was unable to overcome her mental distress. She was counselled by the school administration.
The teenager was alone at home on Thursday. She called one of her friends, but he did not answer the phone. He returned her call around 7 p.m. The phone rang but went unanswered, after which
he dashed to her house.
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The friend of the deceased informed her father. As they reached home, it was locked from inside. After breaking in, the girl was found hanging with the ceiling.
According to reports, the girl left behind a suicide note in which she named two people. In her suicide note, she urged that the preparators must not be spared.
Accused arrested
Initially, the girl's father did not file a police report in connection with her death. However, student organisations staged a protest near the district collectorate on Friday afternoon,
demanding that a case be filed against the Physics teacher. The teacher was arrested in the evening under Sections 9(I) (sexual assault on a child more than once) and 10 (aggravated sexual assault) of the POCSO Act, as well
as Section 306 (abetment to commit suicide) of the IPC. Investigation into the case is underway.
Meanwhile, the student's classmates staged a protest in front of the Coimbatore Government Hospital, carrying banners, claiming that the police had not conducted a proper investigation because only one person had been arrested so far.