Parents of a 17-year-old school student, who committed suicide on January 27 in Kannur, after his teacher allegedly insulted him for taking a group selfie, are seeking a probe into his death.
According to the parents, Sanath S, a student of Thalassery Kaavumbaagam Higher Secondary school in Kannur took a selfie along with his friends during the school youth festival which was held in the second week of January.
“On January 13, one teacher named Geethamani, asked him to show the photo he took. She asked him to send the photo to her phone and told him that she was keeping it just for fun. But she informed the parents of the girl. On the same day, when the girl’s brothers came to the school, the teacher introduced Sanath to them and they abused my son and even tried to manhandle him for taking a photo with their sister. But many others were there in the photo,” Sanath’s father Sathyanath told The News Minute.
Sathyanath said that the teacher made it a big issue and there were even attempts to assault Sanath outside the school campus.
“After that, Sanath and I went to Sabarimala and he was on leave for some days. After returning from Sabarimala, he dressed as usual and left for school every day and did not tell us anything. But we did not know that he was not going to school. He was scared of the school authorities and the girl’s family,” Sathyanath added.
On January 27, the boy was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his room, in his school uniform. The family had no idea why he died.
“His funeral was on January 29. Then some of his friends came home and told us the problems he had at the school. Till then we had no idea. When the school principal came for his funeral, I asked him why he did not inform us when the student was not attending classes for the last several days. Then he apologised to me,” Sathyanath said.
He also added that Sanath was a brave boy and he would not have died unless he was threatened and hurt a lot.
“I asked them to show the photo which he had taken. But they are not showing it because they know that there was nothing wrong in a group selfie. They killed my son, by imposing their fake morality,” Sathyanath alleges.
The family has given a written complaint to the DGP and district Police Commissioner seeking a thorough probe.