A 16-year-old girl, a victim of sexual assault, was found dead in her house in Konni, Pathanamthitta district, on Thursday, September 23 morning. The minor victim had been going through severe mental stress since the assault, which took place in July.
The girl was living with her father, a rubber tapping worker, and her grandmother. Her grandmother found the girl dead around 9 am. Her father was at work at the time.
The accused, Vishnu (31), who is the girl’s neighbour, was arrested on July 31 for sexually assaulting the girl and has been on remand since. He was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
In another similar case on September 15, a school teacher named Usman was arrested after one of his students took her own life. The victim was a 12-year-old. It was reported that Usman used to send inappropriate messages to the victim. Her parents had alleged that she took her own life after the accused mentally harassed her.
A senior police officer had told PTI that the victim's parents had come across the chat messages between the two and warned the girl against it. Her father also brought the issue to the notice of the school management, which, in turn, took up the matter with Usman, he said.
The police officer had also said that the messages were improper for a teacher to be sending to a 12-year-old student. He said that there is a possibility that she might have ended her life out of mental tension as her parents read the chat messages.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.