DINDIGUL: In an incident that sparked tension, a class V girl student who went missing from the Government Middle School in Pachalur near Kodaikanal, was found in a partially burnt state near the school premises on Wednesday.
However, sources said, though the 10-year-old was alive when found, she died from her burns while being taken to Oddanchatram government hospital for treatment.
The girl and her two siblings study at the Government Middle School in Pachalur village panchayat. The incident came to light when only the elder sister and the younger brother went home for lunch. When the parents realised that the younger daughter was missing, they rushed to the school, searching for her.
Students at the school said she was last seen during the forenoon break. Worried over not finding her, they all started searching for the girl on the campus and found her fighting for life a few yards away from the school kitchen.
“Soon, her parents rushed her to the hospital, but she was declared dead on arrival,” said the Kodaikanal Revenue Divisional Officer, S Murugesan.
There are 109 students and six teachers in the Government Middle School in Pachalur village panchayat, including one school head, two female staff and three male staff. On Wednesday, two female staff and a male staff were on leave.
Thandikudi police registered a case of a suspicious death, and a team of police personnel headed by ADSP Lavanya started an inquiry into the incident. They summoned three teachers, including the school head, as they were present at the school on Wednesday. School staff members, students and others in the locality were also questioned.
Later, the girl’s body was taken for a postmortem examination to a government hospital at Dindigul. Following this, the girl’s relatives refused to receive the body and demanded the suspects’ arrest. Tension prevailed at the hospital premises.
On Thursday morning, an altercation broke out between the Palani MLA IP Senthil Kumar and the girl’s family as he urged them to get the girl’s body. Deputy Inspector General of Police (Dindigul Range), B Vijayakumari told the reporters that forensic investigations are underway and sniffer dogs have been deployed.
“Autopsy report is expected to come out in two days and the next course of investigation would be decided following the report. There were only burn marks on the girl’s body. No marks of sexual assault have been identified so far,” she added.