13-year-old girl spoke to neighbour about harassment before suicide bid

Speaking to Newsline, the girl's neighbour said, "I was at home when she returned from school. She was accompanied by two of her friends who dropped her off saying she was shattered after being beaten by her PE teacher. They requested me to take care of her. They left and she told me "didi, mujhse aapse baat karni hai (I need to speak to you)".

"I went to her house and she started crying. She told me that she was beaten by her teacher who humiliated her in front of all students. She told me that as soon as she reached school, two of her classmates met her outside, saying their parents had gone to the principal's office and said they had found Rs 1,200, a mobile phone and some chocolates in their bags. The classmates had told their parents that they belonged to the girl. So, they requested her to say that the money and the phone belonged to her. She agreed only as they were her friends."

"Later, the physical education teacher called the girl to the sports room and asked her where the money had come from. The girl told her that the money was hers. The teacher reprimanded her for carrying such a large amount and slapped her," she said.

"The girl then broke down and told the teacher that she was only protecting her friends and that the money was not hers. The teacher, however, took her to the school ground, stripped and slapped her in front of everyone. Her ordeal went on for nearly six hours. She also told me that the other children made fun of her and teased her the whole day. She jumped off the fourth floor around 15 minutes after speaking to me," the neighbour said.

"I did not inform my family about what had transpired on the first day. In the evening, I told my family about it and the next morning we informed the girl's father," the neighbour said.

The girl's uncle said, "The child is fighting for her life in the hospital. Her condition is still critical. Police have not registered a case yet. Where do we go?"

Police said despite recording statements of students and the teacher concerned, they could not corroborate whether the girl was stripped and assaulted. An ACP-rank officer is probing the case. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) B S Jaiswal said: "We are investigating the case. All allegations are being looked into."

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