MADURAI: The Caste-Hindu headmistress of a government higher secondary school was booked under abetment charges on Friday, after a 16-year-old Dalit girl died by suicide on August 25 allegedly after she ordered her out of the school for telling her mother not to keep her hands folded during an admission interview.
Police identified the deceased student as P Nisanthi (16) of Ambedkar Nagar, Usilampatti. A case of suicide was registered on August 25, but altered to abetment of suicide and the HM Vimala’s name was included.
Nisanthi’s uncle, P Sangili (52), a share-auto driver, said the incident took place on August 24 when Nisanthi went to the school with her mother, P Thavamani, seeking admission. Vimala inquired about the girl with her previous school.
During the conversation, Thavamani was listening with folded hands, but Nisanthi tapped them down. The headmistress questioned the action, refused to admit her, allegedly passed a casteist remark, and ordered them to leave the premises. The next day, Nisanthi died by suicide.
“Nisanthi was upset over the incident, which triggered her to end her life. She refused to eat and cried a lot the previous night. It happened to our child in this era and it should not happen again in society. We want action against the headmistress,” he said.
Police said there was no CCTV inside the room and only the girl’s arrival and departure could be seen in the footage recorded outside. “The exact conversation between them was not clear, but the incident prompted her to end her life. Whether SC/ST Act will be invoked will be decided after the inquiry by Usilampatti DSP. As of now, the case has been converted into one of abetment of suicide,” a police source said.
A school education official who held an inquiry with the headmistress stated that she denied the charges and claimed she had spoken casually without any casteist motive. A report has been submitted to the district collector. Further action against her will be decided in line with the police investigation.
Nisanthi completed Class 10 at a government school in Thottappanayakanur before joining the first group at a government school in Poochipatti. However, she did not attend that school as she wanted to pursue nursing group. Later, the family approached a government-aided school in Usilampatti, where they were asked to pay `5,000. Unable to afford the amount, they approached the Government Model Higher Secondary School for admission.
(To overcome suicidal thoughts, contact TN Health Department helpline 104 and Sneha’s helpline 044-24640050)
