Nearly four months after a 15-year-old girl killed herself after allegedly being harassed by two teachers, the accused were reinstated at the Trinity Lyceum School at Thangassery in Kollam.
On Monday, the school led by the headmistress and other staff welcomed teachers Sindhu and Crescent, weeks after they suspended for allegedly harassing Gauri Neha.
Pictures from their first day at school showed that there was even a ‘welcome back’ reception organised with the two accused teachers cutting the cake.
Not surprisingly, the pictures from Monday have been shared widely on social media. Reacting to their reinstatement, Gauri’s father Prasanna tKumar old the media on Monday, “It is shocking that the teachers not only returned to their jobs but that they were also given a warm reception. If the school management has any humanitarian attitude it should sack the teachers.”
He also expressed fear that the police would allegedly sabotage the probe. “There has been no headway in the probe. It has been 100 days since the statement was taken from the accused. We don’t trust the police probe anymore. What we demand is a CBI probe. We have met the Chief Minister with this demand. We are waiting for the state’s intervention in the issue,” Gauri's uncle Prakash told TNM.
An action council comprised of family members and others has also been formed seeking justice for Gauri Neha.
On October 20, Gauri Neha, a Class 10 student had jumped from the third floor of her school building. She succumbed to her injuries three days later at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
Gauri’s parents and relatives had alleged that she took the extreme step following harassment by the two teachers. Gauri Neha had allegedly been verbally abused by one of the teachers after she raised questions over why her younger sister had been shamed in school.
Both Sindhu and Crescent have been booked under section 305 of IPC (abetment to suicide). Following Gauri’s death the two teachers had absconded. They were also placed under suspension by the school management following the harassment allegations.
In November, Sindhu and Crescent surrendered before the Kollam district magistrate court after the Kerala High Court ordered them to surrender. The two were granted anticipatory bail and have been appearing before the investigation team every week.