National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Chairman Priyank Kanoongo visited Kallakurichi in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, July 27, to investigate the death of the Class 12 student. The student was found dead in the hostel premises of a private school in Kallakurichi. While speaking to the press, the Chairman said, “We have met the family of the girl. We will visit the school and then meet the authorities and the investigating officers of the case. After that we will come up with our findings and submit the report to the government.”
He added that based on the first impression, there seems to be some procedural lapses in the investigation and they will be probed further after speaking to the stakeholders concerned, including the police officers, doctors and other officials.
Kanoongo was accompanied by the Commissioner of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) Saraswathi Rangaswamy, along with a team of officials while visiting the school.
Rangaswamy had visited the school on July 21, to investigate the death of the Class 12 girl who was discovered dead on the hostel grounds on July 12. She stated that the school had not sought permission to run a hostel in its premises. She said that if the school had applied for a licence to operate a hostel in the premises, it would have been required to hire wardens and security guards for the hostel.
A note found in the student’s room alleged that she was “tortured” by two teachers in the school, which led to her suicide. Protests had been going on outside the school since her death but it took a violent turn on July 17. Hundreds of people gathered outside the school and clashed with the police, pelted stones, and damaged school property. Nearly 300 people were arrested and produced in court in relation to the protests, out of whom 20 were juveniles.