Delhi student suicide case: CCTV footage shows teacher ‘humiliating’ 16-year-old in front of other kids, says police

Delhi Police investigating the suicide case of Class 10 student from central Delhi’s reputed school said that they have identified five of the boy’s friends and examined CCTV footage. The death of the 16-year-old student, which raised concern on mental health, is being probed and investigating agencies are questioning the deceased's friends and their families.

In connection with the suicide case, Delhi Police is questioning three classmates who have been identified among the witnesses and were named in the FIR filed by the child's father. Narrating the happenings of the last four days before the 16-year-old's death, they alleged that the Class 10 student was “picked on” repeatedly.

According to HT report, this particular group of friends felt intimidated, routinely humiliated and targeted by the staff members in question, an investigator familiar with the statements of the witnesses said. Meanwhile, CCTV footage seems to corroborate the witnesses' uniform narrative. A teacher is “seen humiliating him in front of other kids,” a police officer said while referring to one of the footages.

The school suspended four staff members on Thursday after they were charged with Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 107 (abetment to suicide) and 3(5) (common intention).

In the notice issued to the district magistrate and the deputy commissioner of police of central Delhi, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) demanded an action taken report within 10 days for its perusal into the allegations levelled in the complaint filed on November 19. The FIR alleges that the student committed suicide by jumping from the Rajendra Place Metro Station due to "continuous mental harassment and discriminatory treatment by teachers of a reputed school in Lutyens' Delhi".

Following the public outrage over the suicide, Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Friday said that an investigation committee has been formed by the state government.

“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. Soon, I will be writing to schools to ask whether they are monitoring students' mental health and overall well-being in accordance with CBSE guidelines," ANI quoted the Delhi Education Minister as saying.

He added, "The state government is ready to provide handholding and support. We are deeply concerned about our children's mental health and well-being.”

The Class 10 student left a suicide note accusing his schoolteachers of harassment. Calling for strict action against the responsible staff members, the 16-year-old in his note wished that his organs be donated after his death.

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