Girl suicide case: NCPCR report points to procedural lapses

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has accused Tamil Nadu government authorities who probed the suicide of a 17-year-old girl of “ignoring all the pleadings” by her family to investigate allegations of forced conversion and recommended action against Thanjavur district police officers for “procedural lapses” in the case.

However, the report prepared after a visit by NCPCR led by its chairman Priyank Kanoongo does not make any conclusion on allegations by BJP and parents of the girl that she and her family were forced to convert to Christianity.

The girl had named the warden in one of the videos shot by a BJP functionary before her death. The girl, responding to questions from the BJP functionary, had said the warden had attempted to convert her to Christianity two years ago.

The BJP took up the issue to allege “forced conversion” but the state police ruled out the angle. However, the girl’s father knocked at the doors of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court which transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). CBI is now investigating the case.

The 10-page report, accessed by DH, said there were many “glaring issues” which were required to be investigated by the investigating authorities and that “many discrepancies and lapses” were observed as to the immediate steps taken by the school authorities for the care of the minor girl after she fell sick– she consumed pesticide on January nine and died ten days later.

On the “procedural lapses” in the investigation, the report said the alleged crime scene was not sealed and cordoned for the purpose of the investigation by the local police, and the Investigating Officer (IO) said that the warden, named by the girl, was not even taken on police custody.

“It was also informed by the Investigating officer that to date she has not been able to identify the vendor/the source from which the alleged substance/poison/herbicide had been procured. It was also observed by the team during the interaction that the statements which were made by the IO and the SP had various anomalies,” the report said.

The report also said the hostel authorities waited for the parents of the minor child to take her for medical treatment to the hospital even when she did not get relief with the treatment given by the nurse who had been called by them.

It is also pertinent to mention here that before the deceased girl was allowed to be taken for the treatment to the other hospital, the school authorities collected fee from the mother, the report added.

“It was observed that the investigating authorities were somewhere trying to conceal material facts pertaining to the care given to the child while she was staying in the CCI and also ignored all the pleas made by the family to investigate regarding the minor being forced to convert into Christianity,” the report said.

The report also said several violations under Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and its Rules, 2016 and various other irregularities were also noticed during the visit.

The NCPCR recommended Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu to provide necessary counselling, compensation and assistance to the parents and the brother of the deceased girl and to shift all the children residing in the hostel following due procedure immediately.

It also asked the Director General of Police Sylendra Babu to take disciplinary action against the district police officials for not “following the due process of investigation and conducting a fair investigation.”

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