A day after heavy protests rocked Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi over the death of a student, private school associations in the state have announced a holiday on Monday, July 18. In a note, the Tamil Nadu Private Schools Association condoled the student’s family, but strongly condemned the violent protests. “To express our solidarity, (many) private schools in Tamil Nadu will remain closed on Monday,” R Visalaksi, the president of the association, said.
On July 13, Class 12 student at the Kaniyamoor Sakthi Matriculation School near Chinnasalem was found dead at her hostel, and a note found in her hostel room alleged that two teachers at the school “tortured” her, leading to her suicide. The girl’s family and a few others protested since then, however, the peaceful blockade turned violent when hundreds showed up on Sunday, July 17, and stormed the school campus. The protesters set fire to as many as 15 school buses, as well as a police van and all the vehicles that had been parked at the school premises. Visuals also showed a few of them ramming a tractor into the side of a bus. The police have issued prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC in Kallakurichi till July 30.
The 17-year-old girl’s father had moved the Madras High Court on Sunday, seeking the probe to be transferred to the CB-CID. The petition filed by Ramalingam, the student's 47-year-old father, stated that it was necessary to conduct a second postmortem examination to “unearth the truth behind the suspicious death”. The case has been transferred to the CB-CID for investigation.
The police have also arrested three people — school correspondent Ravikumar, Secretary Shanti and Principal Sivasangaran in connection with the case. However, a video has surfaced in which school secretary Shanti is heard blaming the deceased student’s mother for the violence on Sunday. She also made serious allegations against the mother, alleging that she incited the mob by spreading ‘fake news’. Throughout the 4 minute video, no condolences were paid to the teenager who passed away. Shanti targeted the student's mother further and said, "She spoiled the hard earned reputation of the school. The school was started in 1998 and after all the hardships we faced, many of our students went on to become engineers, doctors and government staffers. They all know how this management worked for the students." Officials of the school have maintained that they do not have anything to do with the student’s death.