Siliguri, Jan. 4 -- A Class 8 girl student allegedly committed suicide following physical "assault and humiliation" by her school teacher.
The deceased was a student of Matigara Girls' School and lived with her mother and brother at her maternal uncle's house in Jyoti Nagar Colony.
According to the family, the girl had reportedly scored low marks in her annual examination and had altered her marks on the result sheet using a pen, which was noticed by a teacher. On Saturday, the student and her mother were asked to visit the school regarding admission-related matters. The girl reportedly went to the school alone, asking her mother to come later.
The family alleged that during this time, the teacher accused the student of tampering with marks and physically assaulted her, beating her up. They further claimed that the teacher called the student's brother and issued threats. The girl returned home around noon, when no one was present, and allegedly took her own life shortly thereafter. A complaint was lodged at Matigara Police Station by the family.
On Sunday, the bereaved family and local residents staged a protest outside the police station, demanding strict action against the accused teacher. No response was received from school authorities or the teacher.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.