MADURAI: People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and Tamil Puligal Katchi have raised suspicion that the death of Seenu, a 12-year-old boy from an SC community, was not suicide but murder. Blaming the government-aided school management for his death, PUCL demanded an inquiry by State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
The fact-finding team included PUCL national secretary R Murali, state general secretary A John Vincent, spokesperson of Tamil Puligal Katchi Muthukumar and four other members, who conducted a study on November 11. Earlier, the family had protested against the school management alleging that Seenu’s death at Ariyanayagipuram in Tenkasi on October 14 was not suicide.
The team said Seenu’s school was near his home and the CCTVs facing his house were removed after the incident. Two of his friends were forced into writing a letter that said he had stomach pain. “The family has also got a new EB connection and cement roads have been laid leading to the house, increasing the suspicion ... Headmaster Chellaiya and physical education teacher Sakthi Murugan used caste slurs.”
Seenu’s mother Mariyammal said her son did not even know how to tie a knot. She accused the school teachers of caste discrimination. The team demanded that TN government give `25 lakh as compensation to the family and requested it to form a special team to report caste discrimination in Southern TN schools. “Two students have died in the same school. Teachers from city should be appointed in villages to reduce caste discrimination.”