A school student in Kerala’s Palakkad district, died by suicide after allegedly being pressured and threatened by teachers over an Instagram post containing profanity. The incident has led to widespread protests and the suspension of two teachers from the school. The student’s family claimed that he was physically harassed by his class teacher. However, the police stated that the postmortem examination showed no signs of torture or physical assault, according to a report by The Indian Express.
The boy died shortly after returning home from school on Tuesday. On Thursday, hundreds of students from the private trust-run school staged a protest, demanding action against the teachers involved in the incident. Following the incident, the Education Department suspended the class teacher and the headmistress. It has also ordered a formal investigation into the case.
Police investigate cause of death
The local police have registered a case of unnatural death. The Station House Officer (SHO) said authorities are examining whether the teachers should be accused of abetting the suicide.
“Neither the postmortem nor the inquest revealed signs of torture or physical assault. Statements from teachers and students are being recorded,” IE reported, quoting the SHO, of police station in the area.
Incident traced back to Instagram
The issue began last Friday when four students had an argument over an Instagram post, which allegedly contained profane language about another student’s father. The boy who died had only forwarded the post to another student. “On Monday, one of the parents approached the school with a complaint and in the presence of teachers, the matter was resolved,” IE reported, quoting the student’s uncle.
The next day, the class teacher and headmistress, who were absent on Monday, raised the issue again. The uncle said the class teacher summoned the four students, singled out the boy, and “threatened that a police case would be filed and a cyber crime complaint registered.”
“The matter had been resolved on Monday, but the teacher unnecessarily brought it up again. He may have been disturbed by the threat. He died by suicide immediately after returning home, still in his school uniform,” the uncle added.
Claims on harassment
The uncle also alleged that the teacher had “harassed him physically and mentally in the office room.”
Although, the headmistress denied any harassment, stating, “The teacher might have advised and warned him with good intentions. I only tried to make him understand the consequences of a cyber crime case. Teachers act with genuine concern in such situations.”
