Teen attempts suicide over harassment by school teacher

A class eight student of a government school attempted suicide by jumping from the fifth floor of her residential building at outer Delhi’s Samaipur Badli on Wednesday over alleged harassment by her school teacher.

The 13-year-old victim, who lives with her parents at Yadav Nagar, is undergoing treatment for critical injuries at Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital. According to police, she is a student of Rajkiya Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya and attempted suicide around 3 pm.

“The girl’s relatives allege that she took the extreme step over being forced to strip as punishment for three hours by her physical education teacher on Wednesday. Our investigation is yet to confirm the allegations. We have recorded statement of the family members and are investigating the matter,” said a police officer.

Family members claim that the girl was paraded naked inside the classroom over allegations that she had stolen Rs 1,200 and a mobile phone of a classmate. “She returned home crying on Wednesday afternoon and told her mother to call father home. Her father works at Sadar Bazar and returned home immediately,” a family member said.

However, the girl jumped from the fifth floor without informing her parents about the incident. She was rushed to nearby Chadha Nursing Home by locals and was later shifted to Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital due to critical injuries suffered.

The girl’s aunt, said that a teacher named Simran was behind the incident. “Our child was in depression after the incident and tried to commit suicide. We have lodged a complaint against Simran at Samaipur Badli police station,” she said.

She further said that despite their complaint, police have not taken any action against the accused teacher. Angry family members and locals also staged a protest outside the school on Thursday. According to B S Jaiswal, deputy commissioner of police (outer), an assistant commissioner of police level inquiry has been initiated.