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New Delhi: A 15-year-old student has allegedly died by suicide in Greater Faridabad. His mother has alleged that the boy was being repeatedly bullied over his sexuality and that authorities of Delhi Public School, where he was enrolled, had ignored her complaints.
The incident occurred on Thursday, February 24. In a note purportedly written by the Class 10 student, he said that the school “has killed” him.
Police have registered a case of abetment of suicide against the headmistress and school management.
The school has publicly expressed “sadness” at the student’s death and has been quoted in reports as having said, “The police are investigating the matter on the complaint of the family. We want an impartial enquiry so that the truth comes out and the school is vindicated.”
Sexual assault allegation
The boy’s mother told Indian Express that in March 2021, her son was allegedly sexually harassed in his school washroom by a group of schoolboys. She said that she “complained to the authorities verbally” and then, in September 2021, “wrote an email”.
“The school authorities, in their reply, said that some of the students named by me in the complaint had left the school and were no longer on its rolls. They said that the rest of the students had denied any involvement and that the incident stated by me carried no specific particulars or evidence,” she told Express.
This allegation, however, is not in the complaint which was filed at the BPTP police station. The mother told the newspaper that she was in shock in the aftermath of receiving news on her son’s death, when police were recording her statement.
Bullying allegations
Sube Singh, Faridabad Police spokesperson, told Indian Express, “Last year, two children made lewd remarks against him. His mother complained about this to the principal but the authorities did not do anything.”
On this bullying, the mother told the newspaper, “I had filed several complaints to the school authorities but no action was taken by them,”
The boy had been undergoing therapy for depression for the last one year, BPTP Station House Officer Arjun Dhundhara said.
“In her complaint to police, the boy’s mother also alleged that her son had told her nearly a year ago that other students used to call him ‘homosexual’,” the SHO said.
In her complaint, the boy’s mother also disclosed that her son suffered from dyslexia and faced difficulty in solving numerical problems. When he sought help on some math problems from the school principal on February 23 during a science exam, the principal in turn scolded him, the mother has alleged.
“The principal did not only threaten the boy not to promote him to the next class but also told him that he took advantage of his illness and we both mother-son are doing drama,” the child’s mother said.
“Only the school management is responsible for the death of my son,” she added in her complaint.
(With PTI inputs)
If you know someone – friend or family member – at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. The Suicide Prevention India Foundation maintains a list of telephone numbers they can call to speak in confidence. Icall, a counselling service run by TISS, has maintained a crowdsourced list of therapists across the country. You could also take them to the nearest hospital.