Suicide in Ludhiana school: Probe team records statements of victim’s teachers, friends

Classmates say that after school, the girl had told them that her parents will be picking her up so she will wait for them in the school; CCTV image shows her exiting classroom at 3pm.

A day after a 17-year-old girl was found dead in the biology laboratory of Government Senior Secondary School for Girls, Gill village, a two-member inquiry team visited the school on Wednesday for further investigation.

Police said that the girl, in her suicide, note had written that she was taking the extreme step as her parents were planning to marry her off after her Class-12 board exams, but she wanted to study further. (Representative image) (ISTOCK)

The team, comprising the principals of government senior secondary schools of Basti Jodhewal and Ayali Khurd, recorded the statements of the teen girl’s two classmates, biology teacher, class teacher and other subject teachers. They also quizzed the school in-charge and girl’s parents. They remained in the school for over six hours to record the statements.

Sources said that all the teachers, in a written statement, have stated that the girl was a bright student and had scored above 80% in the Class-12 December exams.

The two classmates, whose statements were recorded, told the inquiry officers that the girl had attended the school for the first time after lockdown on Monday. Both said that after the classes ended at 3pm, the girl had told them that her parents were to pick her up and that she would wait for them in the school.

In closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the school, the girl was seen coming out of the classroom at 3pm and entering the biology laboratory at 3.10pm. The footage also shows that the school’s watchman closed the door of the laboratory and locked a few classrooms at 3.45pm. The girl’s parents had also visited the school around 5.40pm and checked two rooms, but had not found her.

They had later lodged a complaint with the police.

As per the suicide note recovered by the police, the girl wanted to study further but her parents were planning to marry her off, which is why had resorted to the extreme step. She had, however, also written in the note that she did not blame anyone for her suicide.

The parents have confirmed that the handwriting in the note was their daughter’s.

The parents, in their statement, also stated that their daughter had never complained about any teacher.

District education officer, elementary-cum-secondary, Rajinder Kaur, said, “The inquiry team members have recorded the statements and I will be able to comment only after receiving their report.”