JOIN USThe shocked parents of the girls who committed suicide by jumping into the Sankey Tank on Tuesday could not believe that their children were dead.
Sonali’s parents - Dayanand, a cab driver, and Prema - were inconsolable and were waiting for their daughter’s body to be handed over to them after post-mortem at M S Ramaiah hospital.
They said, “We never expected them to take such a drastic step. For the past couple of days, Sonali was upset. We tried asking her, but she never said anything. After seeing the death note which mentions the harassment by teachers, we regret not helping her. If she had talked to us about it, something could have been done, but now it is late.”
Priyanka’s mother Bhagyalakshmi said that they were aware about her daughter’s poor performance in school. They were told several times by the school authorities, asking them to help improve her academic performance, failing which she would be barred from appearing for her examination. They had sent her for tuitions and she showed some improvement. Priyanka’s father Janardhan is an employee in the Fire and Emergency Services department.
The family members and relatives of the girls are planning to stage a protest in front of the school on Wednesday, demanding strict action against the teachers and authorities of the school for their attitude towards the students.
“No student will learn if they are punished. Life is much more than just scoring marks and getting ranks. The teachers do not understand this. All that they want is good results, which would get good publicity for the school. The students are pressured to perform well in everything, which is not possible for young minds,” said a relative of Priyanka.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) B R Ravikanthe Gowda, said, “We are questioning everyone concerned with this incident and no conclusions can be drawn at the moment. Our investigation will look into every aspect.”