Father moves HC, seeks transfer of school suicide inquiry to Crime Branch, CBI

Father accuses St Columba’s School teachers of driving his son to suicide and seeks a court inquiry transfer due to dissatisfaction with investigation.

The father of a 16-year-old boy who allegedly died by suicide after jumping from a west Delhi Metro station has accused teachers at St Columba’s School of driving his son to despair and said he is unhappy with the ongoing police investigation.

Photo for representation (HT_PRINT)

The 48-year-old trader from Karol Bagh told HT on Monday that he now plans to approach the Delhi High Court seeking that the inquiry be transferred to either the Crime Branch or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

“We are unhappy with the investigation by the police station staff and the Metro unit which is dealing with the case. I personally met all the senior police officers also but they are not doing enough. We have decided to approach the Delhi High Court to transfer the case to either the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police or the Central Bureau of Investigation,” he said.

Police officers aware of the case details, meanwhile, said that they have questioned four teachers named in the suicide note, along with five other staff members, over the past two weeks.

A senior officer said investigators have examined the father and sought written records from the parents about any past complaints to the school, but have not received those documents yet. “We also asked the school for written records of any behavioural issues or concerns the teachers had flagged about the student. They have shared some documents,” the officer said.

The four teachers named by the teenager were suspended two days after the incident, and the Directorate of Education ordered a separate inquiry. The boy’s family and supporters have since held several protests demanding action, alleging persistent mistreatment by the staff.

The incident occurred on November 18, when the Class 11 student jumped from the elevated Metro station after leaving behind a handwritten note in his school bag. In the note, he accused three teachers and the headmistress of repeatedly humiliating him and wrote that his last wish was that “no student should be treated the way I was”. He said those named “must be punished”, and apologised to his parents and older brother.

Police later registered a case under sections 107 (abetment to suicide) and 3(5) (common intention of criminal act) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The boy also wrote that on the day of the incident, he fell during a dramatics class but his teacher accused him of faking it. When he cried and insisted he was hurt, she allegedly dismissed that too as fake. His father said that the teenager and a few classmates were planning to submit a complaint about the teachers, but he died before doing so.

Police have recovered CCTV footage from the school from the day of the incident as part of efforts to reconstruct the sequence of events.