Moments before the fateful decision, a crying and distraught 16-year-old Delhi schoolboy who died by suicide asked his female passenger to withdraw her son from school. He told the woman that the teachers at school “tortured” him.
A class 10 student of a private school jumped from the platform of Rajendra Place metro station in central Delhi at 2:34 pm on Tuesday, November 18.
Deepshikha, the woman who last saw the schoolboy before he headed to the Rajendra Place metro station, told ANI that she was in the same rickshaw as the boy on November 18.
She said she used to bring her ward home from school in a rickshaw like every other day, “But on the afternoon of November 18, when I was just sitting in the rickshaw with my son, he (the victim) suddenly ran up and quickly got on.”
“He kept telling the driver to go faster. He looked very upset,” Deepshikha recalled.
She then asked the boy what happened, to which he replied, “You should withdraw your son from school.”
“My board exams are coming up and the teachers are torturing me a lot. I can’t even explain how much. My parents are being called to school again and again,” the 16-year-old told the woman.
A schoolboy has left a suicide note accusing his teachers of harassment and calling for strict action against them.
Meanwhile, parents and students continued to protest outside the private school.
The Delhi government has formed an inquiry committee
Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood said the state government has formed an inquiry committee.
“We have formed a commission of inquiry and the school has also taken action. I see this not only as the Minister of Education, but also as a concerned parent,” he said.
Sood also said that he will write to schools whether they are monitoring the mental health and overall well-being of students as per CBSE guidelines. “The State Government stands ready to provide help and support. We are deeply concerned about the mental health and wellbeing of our children.”
The private school has since suspended four teachers.
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