Student ends life for not getting mobile phone

A 10th standard student of Sagade Government High School ended her life, by consuming poison here, on Monday evening.

The girl's father has lodged a police complaint that she took the extreme step as her demand for buying a mobile phone to attend online classes was not met.

Harshitha (15), daughter of Rajesh and Padma, of Sagade village, was pestering her parents to buy her a mobile phone, claiming that all her friends had phones, according to a resident of the village.

Her father, a tailor, was facing financial problems and thus, he had assured her of buying a phone, after a few days. Upset over this, Harshitha consumed pesticide, that was brought to spray for plants.

Harshitha was rushed to the primary health centre at Kabballi. From there, she was shifted to the district hospital for further treatment, where she breathed her last.

Chamarajanagar Rural Police Inspector Lohith Kumar said, "We have registered a case, based on the complaint lodged by Harshitha's father, that his daughter consumed pesticide for not buying her a mobile phone, to follow online classes."

When contacted, Sagade Government High School Headmaster Gajendra said that they are not conducting any online classes for students. The teachers go to the villages, gather students at a common place and conduct classes, under Vidyagama programme, he said.