3 teachers, headmistress of Central Delhi school suspended over student suicide

The 16-year-old boy had jumped from an elevated Metro station in west Delhi on Tuesday afternoon, leaving behind a handwritten note in his school bag that alleged persistent mistreatment by the four staffers.

Four staff members – three teachers and one headmistress – of a prominent school in central Delhi were suspended with immediate effect on Thursday after police registered a case against them in connection with the alleged suicide of a Class 10 student who accused them of harassment and held them responsible for his death.

On Wednesday, police registered a case under sections of BNS (Representative photo)

The 16-year-old boy had jumped from an elevated Metro station in west Delhi on Tuesday afternoon, leaving behind a handwritten note in his school bag that alleged persistent mistreatment by the four staffers. A police team examining the incident recovered the note, in which the boy described his anguish and identified teachers and the headmistress whom he said had repeatedly humiliated and targeted him.

On Wednesday, police registered a case under sections 107 (abetment to suicide) and 3(5) (common intention of criminal act) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the four staff members.

A day later, the school issued suspension orders, signed by the principal, informing the accused staffers that the FIR and the seriousness of the allegations necessitated immediate disciplinary action. “During the period of suspension... you are required to remain available for any official communication or inquiry. You must not visit the school premises or interact with students, staff, or parents without prior written permission,” the order said.

A senior officer aware of the case said investigators are scanning CCTV footage from the school and the Metro station and are preparing to issue notices to the teachers named in the note. “We have spoken to multiple students already and will continue to record statements,” the officer said.

Meanwhile, the student’s friends and family alleged he had faced “targeted harassment” for months and that the school had ignored warning signs.

Speaking to HT, his father said the boy had confided in friends but had never shared his suicidal thoughts with the family. “I was told by his friends that he had informed the counsellor about his thoughts, but he never shared that with us,” he said.

The father added that his son had been consistently reporting that teachers reprimanded him for minor issues – laughing in class, speaking to friends, or scoring fewer marks. “He and his group of three-four friends were targeted by the teachers who taught them,” he said.

The family, originally from Sangli in Maharashtra, runs a jewellery business in central Delhi, where they also live. They left for Pune on Wednesday night for the teenager’s last rites.

“On Monday, he had again shared that he was being troubled, and I told him that we’ll change his school after the board exams as he was in class 10,” the father said, adding that the boy had been repeatedly threatened with expulsion.

The father said he had been called to the school about three months ago over a minor issue. “They said he talks in class and I told them if kids his age wouldn’t then who would. I also told them not to pressure my child over marks because we were okay with whatever he was scoring.”

A classmate, a friend of the victim, too said that the details in the note the boy left were accurate and that he was “indeed being bullied by the teachers”. The friend said that the teachers often threatened the students with suspensions and expulsions.

“The teachers use abusive language openly in the class and dismiss students. They call our parents for minor issues, like if we spill water in the class. My friend [the victim] had told the counsellor about his problems and we [the students] were going to lodge a formal complaint with the headmistress in the next two-three days,” he added, though he did not confirm whether the victim had told him this directly.

The boy’s uncle corroborated this. He said, “His friends shared that he had shared about his suicidal thoughts with the counsellor but she dismissed it.”

He said he had viewed the CCTV footage from the Metro station where the incident took place. “The video showed him put his bag down, walk for about two-and-a-half minutes, even helping guide a woman on the platform. Then he went to speak to the guard. He jumped when the guard briefly looked away,” the uncle said. “He was in the school uniform only and had gone right after school.”

On Tuesday, the family said, he chose to take the Metro instead of waiting for the driver who usually picked him up.

When police checked the student’s bag, they found the handwritten, one-and-a-half-page note in which he detailed the alleged harassment, named the teachers, apologised to his parents and brother, and wrote that his last wish was that “no student should be treated the way he was.”

Sharing some details about his son, the father said the 16-year-old was good at extra-curricular activities and had even represented his school in a dance competition about two months ago.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government’s Directorate of Education (DoE) formed a five-member high-level committee to investigate the incident. Chaired by joint director Harshit Jain, the committee has been asked to submit a comprehensive report within three days. “The committee shall undertake a thorough, objective, and time-bound inquiry and submit a report incorporating factual findings, analytical observations, conclusions, and specific recommendations,” the DoE said in an order issued on Thursday.

On Thursday, the boy’s extended family and friends protested outside the school, demanding action against the teachers named in the note. They plan to protest again on Friday as well.