A 12-year-old Chhattisgarh girl's suicide, after pinning the blame on her allegedly cruel schoolteacher, has triggered raging protests in the state over perceived police inaction.

Kaveri (name changed), a Class 8 student of private Hindi-medium Vasuki high school, hanged herself at her home in Jamul in steel city Bhilai, about 50km west of Raipur, on Tuesday. Police have recovered a suicide note believed to have been written by Kaveri, but have not managed to question the woman teacher she has accused of frequently tormenting her.

A local police official who did not want to be named said the teacher was absconding. The school said the accused teacher had been suspended.