MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Saturday requested the parents of the Class 12 girl, who allegedly died by suicide in Thanjavur four days ago, to receive the body and conduct last rites. Justice GR Swaminathan told the Principal District Judge of Thanjavur to nominate a judicial magistrate to record the parents’ statement on Sunday.
The magistrate was further directed to send a copy of the statement to the HC in a sealed cover before the next hearing on Monday. The judge also restrained the Thanjavur police from “harassing” the person who shot the video in which the girl claimed her school authorities were putting pressure on her to convert to Christianity. The video was shot while the girl was hospitalised following her suicide bid.
The court gave the direction during a special sitting based on a petition filed by the girl’s father seeking a CB-CID probe into her death. The petitioner’s counsel told the court, “After the video went viral, Thanjavur SP G Ravali Priya said action would be taken against the person who shot the video as he revealed the minor girl’s identity. She also said the parents did not mention the religious conversion attempt in their complaint to the police.”
Contending that by issuing such statements, the police were exerting pressure on the girl’s parents and the person who shot the video, he sought a direction against it. He also sought a postmortem. After the additional public prosecutor said the autopsy was done by two forensic doctors of Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, Justice Swaminathan said a second postmortem was not necessary. The judge directed the Thanjavur Collector to make arrangements to take the body to the victim’s hometown.
The girl’s father, in an affidavit, said the school management persuaded him and his wife to agree to convert their child to Christianity when she passed Class 10. “Since we refused, the hostel warden made our daughter clean the school campus and cooking utensils, etc. She was also not allowed to come home for holidays,” he said, adding that the physical and mental torture by the school authorities forced the girl to take the extreme step.
(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 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)