Plus-One student found dead in TN's Sivakasi, fourth case in two weeks

Chennai: A series of deaths of schoolgirls in a span of few days across Tamil Nadu has unnerved one and all. The toll has touched four in a fortnight as a Class 11 student was found hanging in her home in Sivakasi on Tuesday.

Police suspect suicide and have commenced a detailed probe. The incident happened after the girl returned from school yesterday. No suicide note has been found yet.

The girl often suffered from severe stomach ache, a police officer stated.

In the past fortnight, three Class 12 girls and a Class 11 girl have been found dead in Tamil Nadu, with three among them reported in the last two days. Suicide is suspected in all these cases.

The Sivakasi death was reported hours after a Class 12 student was found dead in Cuddalore district. In her suicide note, which ran four pages, the Cuddalore girl wrote she was taking her own life due to her inability to fulfil IAS aspirations imposed on her by parents.

On July 13, a Class 12 student of a private school at Kallakurichi died after she jumped from the top of the hostel. Soon, the girl's relatives and locals in the area launched a massive protest, which later turned into a riot, with school property being vandalised and vehicles being torched. Police arrested five people, including the school principal and two teachers, in the case after they found a note which accused the teachers of harassing her mentally for not doing well in studies. A detailed investigation is under way in that incident as well.

A week later another Class 12 student killed herself in Tiruvallur district. The student of the Sacred Heart Girls Higher Secondary School was found dead at her hostel on July 25. However, no suicide note was recovered.

CM warns of strict action

The State government is concerned about the recurrence of such incidents. Chief Minister M K Stalin warned that strict action would be taken against those who abuse children sexually, mentally and physically.

The high court has ordered that deaths in educational institutions be probed by the Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department.