Moments before the fatal decision, the weeping and disturbed 16-year-old Delhi schoolboy, who died by suicide, had asked his co-passenger to withdraw her son from the school. He told the woman that the teachers at school “tortured” him.
The Class 10 student of a private school jumped from the platform of Rajendra Place Metro Station in central Delhi at 2.34 pm on Tuesday, November 18.
Deepshikha, the woman who last saw the schoolboy before he headed to the Rajendra Place Metro Station, told ANI that she was in the same rickshaw as the boy on November 18.
She said that she was bringing her ward home from school in a rickshaw, like all other days, “But on the afternoon of November 18, when I had just sat in the rickshaw with my son, he (the victim) suddenly came running and quickly got in.”
“He kept telling the driver to go faster. He looked very disturbed,” Deepshikha recalled.
She then asked the boy what had happened, to which he replied, “You should withdraw your son from the school.”
“My board exams are coming up, and the teachers torture me a lot. I can't even explain how much. My parents are called to school again and again,” the 16-year-old told the woman.
The schoolboy had left a suicide note accusing his school teachers of harassment and calling for strict action against them.
Meanwhile, parents and students have continued to protest outside the private school.
Delhi govt forms investigation committee
Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood said that the state government had formed an investigation committee.
“We have formed an investigation committee, and the school has also taken action. I see this not only as the Education Minister, but also as a concerned parent,” he said.
Sood also said that he would write to schools to ask whether they are monitoring students' mental health and overall well-being in accordance with CBSE guidelines. “The state government is ready to provide handholding and support. We are deeply concerned about our children's mental health and well-being.”
The private school has since suspended four teachers.
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