Alappuzha: A day after the family of a class 7 student accused his school authorities of abetting the boy’s suicide, a protest march was taken out to the school here on Monday with demonstrators carrying the victim’s ashes.
The march, led by the boy’s father Manoj A P, comprised relatives and neighbours including women. It was blocked by the police a few meters ahead of the Holy Family Visitation Public School, Kattoor. The protests ended after a police team led by the Alappuzha DySP Alappuzha held discussions with Manoj.
Earlier on February 17, the boy’s father lodged a complaint against two teachers of the school, including the Physical Education Teacher, with various authorities, including the Chief Minister.
“The DySP has promised to carry out the investigation in a free and fair manner. The school authorities have contacted us through mediators. But since we are yet to recover from the shock of my son’s death, we have sought a couple of days more for replying,” Manoj told Onmanorama.
SFI protest
Activists of the Students Federation of India (SFI) also organised a protest march to the school in the morning. The cops had to use force to disperse the crowd after the agitation turned violent. Taking note of the situation, the police have intensified security at school. School authorities, meanwhile, denied allegations levelled by the family and said that the boy was only asked to bring his parent to school the next day. The police will be collecting detailed statements of the accused teachers as part of the investigation.
Prajith Manoj, a class 7 student in the school here, was found dead at his residence in Kattoor near Alappuzha on February 15. According to his parents, the boy took the extreme step immediately after reaching home from school, without even changing his school uniform.
The incident that allegedly triggered the harassment occurred during a break between class periods. Prajith, along with a sick friend, left the classroom to fetch drinking water. Despite his fellow students explaining the situation to the teacher who entered the class, she reportedly ignored their reasoning and reported to the school authorities that two of her students had gone missing from the classroom.
A complaint lodged by the victim’s parents stated that Prajith was beaten with a stick by a male teacher, while two female teachers harassed him mentally. The Mannancherry police have lodged a case for unnatural death. The victim’s family has also approached the Chief Minister, the State Police Chief, and the Child Rights Commission with a complaint against the school.
