Faridabad school booked for abetment of suicide after Class 11 girl’s death

Police are scanning CCTV footage to verify her father’s allegation that she was made to stand in the sun for four hours as punishment

A day after a 16-year-old Class 11 student allegedly jumped to her death from the third-floor terrace of a Faridabad school, the administration was booked on charges of abetment of suicide on Wednesday, police said.

Faridabad school booked for abetment of suicide after Class 11 girl’s death

An FIR was registered under section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Dabua police station on the basis of a complaint of the victim’s father who had earlier alleged that the 16-year-old took the step after being made to stand for four hours in the sun as punishment.

Navodaya Vidya Niketan Senior Secondary School Principal RK Sharma, who did not respond to calls from HT on Wednesday, had denied the allegations after the incident.

Yashpal Yadav, public relations officer of Faridabad police, said CCTV footage from the school was being scanned as part of the investigation. “The school has multiple CCTV cameras installed inside its premises. The footage is being scanned to ascertain if she was actually given punishment to stand in the sun, the allegation of the father initially,” he said, adding that several other angles were also being probed.

The incident took place around 1.30pm at the school on Dabua-Gazipur Road. Police said students were leaving after classes ended when the girl went to the terrace on the third floor of the school building and jumped.

The victim’s father accused the school owner and management of trying to “suppress” the matter. “An attempt is being made to portray her death as an accident or suicide. Appropriate action should be taken against the school owner and the management,” he told HT.

On Tuesday, the principal had said, “She had gone to the bathroom accompanied by a female non-teaching staff member. However, after leaving the bathroom, she went to the terrace and jumped to the ground all of a sudden.”

He said the school administration was cooperating with the police investigation.

An autopsy was conducted on Wednesday, after which the body was handed over to her parents for cremation. Teachers, the principal and her classmates will be questioned to ascertain the cause of the alleged suicide, police said.