HUBBALLI: A case of a student's death by suicide in Haveri district has come to light, a week after the incident. The student, Archana Doddannanavar, was studying at Morarji Desai government residential school in Hirekerur taluk of the district.
Archana died by suicide at her residence in Aladakatti village last week and the family conducted last rites without informing the police. Archana in her death note has blamed her classmate Zoya and her mother for the torture which forced her to take extreme steps. Arifulla, father of Zoya, is the Hindi teacher in the residential school.
After the incident, the school management called for a meeting of the family of Archana, Arifulla and village heads. The deal was made to compensate the family of Archana and some villagers who had agreed to bury the matter. As per the discussion, the family demanded Rs 10 lakh but later settled for Rs 1 lakh as compensation. It is said that some of the villagers who did not get a share in the money spread the word.
A villager from Aladakatti said that there was something fishy from the time of the death of Archana. “Archana was a bright student. Some of the village youth who were angry about the matter in the death note and managed to take photographs of it which could be a piece of evidence against the parents of the girl and also the school authorities. The police must take action against the school management for hiding a student’s suicide,” demanded a villager.
On Thursday, a police team from Haveri visited the village where Archana lived and also the residential school. The police have begun an enquiry into the incident and questioning villagers, school management and family members of Archana.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)