A school in Chennai's West Mambalam was on Saturday booked for negligence after a student died after falling from the institute's terrace a day before.
9-year-old I Logamithra, a Class IV student of SRM Nightingale Matriculation Higher Secondary School, fell from the terrace of a four-storey building in the school on Friday afternoon. And though she was rushed to the hospital, she succumbed to her injuries.
Police reportedly suspect that it could be a case of suicide and not an accident since a "thank you and sorry" note to "everyone" was recovered from the girl's notebook.
"These were the last two things the girl had written before she left the classroom," a senior police officer told The Times of India. "The incident would not have happened if the school had ensured the safety of the child. So, we are charging the school under IPC Section 304 (A) (death caused due to negligence)," he added.
Describing the sequence of events leading up to the incident, the officer said that the student had left the class at 2:30 pm in "the guise of" using the restroom. When she saw the terrace door open, she supposedly leaped off.
"Her free fall was impeded by the branches of trees but her head hit the ground first. The security guards were the first to notice the child. They alerted the school authorities. She was rushed to a private hospital, also owned by the school management, where she succumbed to her injuries at 8.30 pm,” he said.
The New Indian Express reported that Logamithra had also written "I love you mummy. I cried mummy...” in her notebook.
On Friday, parents of students were called to collect the progress report of their children. The police are investigating the case and are yet to confirm the motive, the report added.