IRUCHY : With police yet to solve the mystery behind the suicide of two girls studying Class X at the government higher secondary school in Vaiyampatti near Manapparai, parents of several students stopped sending their wards to the school citing lack of safety for the children.Monday being the fourth day since the incident, only 300 students, out of the total 626, reported for classes.V Selvi (15) and A Rathidevi (15) of class X from the villages of Vairapatti and Saralapatti were found dead on the railway tracks at Edakatur in Mannapparai on the outskirts of Tiruchy on Thursday.
Police had been interrogating three school children after receiving reports of their alleged involvement in abetting the girl’s suicide. Following the incident, the CPM also pasted posters across Mannapparaj demanding a fair investigation and compensation for the family members. Of the total 50 students in Class X, only 31 attended. Most of the absentee students are from Saralapatti and Vaiyampatti, where the two dead girls hailed from.Chief Education Officer K Ramakrishnan who inspected the school said he was awaiting police report since the incident happened outside the campus. Meanwhile, the headmaster has been asked to go on leave until the investigation is over.
It is alleged that the girls, Selvi and Rathidevi, had complained to school authorities about being teased by three boys and some graffiti on the wall but the management took it lightly. Subsequently, the girls were found dead on the railway tracks at Edakatur on August 3. Railway police formed a special team under inspector Karthikayani, which has been visiting the girls’ friends to find a clue to the suicide. Another factor cited as reason for the boycott is the presence of police on the school campus. With investigation underway and some students already picked up for enquiry, parents fear their children could also be picked up for interrogation.
Body found on railway tracks on Thursday
V Selvi (15) and A Rathidevi (15) of class X from the villages of Vairapatti and Saralapatti were found dead on the railway tracks at Edakatur in Mannapparai on the outskirts of Tiruchy on Thursday. Police interrogated three students and the school headmaster