The family of a 15-year-old boy, who died by suicide in Kochi on January 15, has alleged that he took his own life after enduring “relentless ragging and bullying” at the hands of a group of students at school as well as on the school bus, officers aware of the matter said on Friday.
While the Hill Palace police filed a case of suicide on the same day of the teenager’s death, his mother said that she has shot off complaints to the state DGP, the chief minister’s office and the child welfare commission seeking an impartial inquiry against those responsible for ragging him.
The teenager died by suicide at his residential apartment in Thripunithura neighbourhood of Kochi on January 15, within an hour of his return from school that day, the family said.
“After his death, my husband and I began gathering information to understand why he took such a drastic step. Through conversations with his friends, schoolmates and by reviewing social media messages, we uncovered the horrific reality of what he had endured. The evidence we gathered paints a chilling picture,” the teenager’s mother wrote in a social media post.
The teenager’s mother claimed that he was “forcibly taken to the washroom, made to lick a toilet seat, and had his head pushed into the toilet while it was flushed.” The teenager was also bullied for his skin colour, she alleged.
{{/usCountry}}The teenager’s mother claimed that he was “forcibly taken to the washroom, made to lick a toilet seat, and had his head pushed into the toilet while it was flushed.” The teenager was also bullied for his skin colour, she alleged.
{{/usCountry}}The mother has also alleged that the private school where her son studied and endured the bullying is intimidating the students and attempting to cover up the incidents to protect its reputation.
“I am begging for justice for him. His death must not go in vain. Those responsible for this barbaric act must face the full force of the law and systemic changes must be made to ensure no other child suffers like he did,” the boy’s mother wrote.
An officer at the Hill Palace police station said, “We have questioned many students of the school as well as school officials. Some of them have claimed that the boy was subjected to ragging while there are others who have denied it as well. The investigation is on. No arrests have been made yet.”
The management of the school, where the teenager studied, termed the allegations “baseless” and the rumours on social media part of “misinformation”. It said that it was “deeply shocked” at the death of the student and added that efforts were made to integrate him into the school through an icebreaker session led by a counsellor.
In a statement, it said that it “gave all the information to police” and is cooperating with authorities as part of the investigation.