Malappuram: The death of a Class 8 student, allegedly by suicide, after he was said to have been denied a Transfer Certificate (TC) by an unaided school in Perinthalmanna, has triggered widespread protests.

Thejas P, 14, a student of Presentation English Medium School, was found dead at his residence in Chirattamanna on May 2. His father, Harish, has lodged a complaint with the district police chief alleging that school authorities had denied his son a TC and that the headmistress and other teachers of the school 'mentally and physically harassed' Thejas and deliberately pushed him toward suicide.

Student organisations, including the Students Federation of India (SFI) and the Muslim Students Federation (MSF), held protest marches to the school on Friday, demanding a detailed investigation into the incident and strict action against those responsible for the student’s death.

The complaint lodged by Harish states that the headmistress and other teachers at the school continuously subjected Thejas to mental and physical harassment. “There was even an incident where he was made to kneel in the classroom for an entire class period. On one occasion, a teacher twisted his ear, causing a wound that later became infected,” the complaint states.

The parents of Thejas had reportedly visited the school in November last year and informed the principal and the class teacher that they were planning to transfer him to another school. According to the complaint, following this, the class teacher allegedly humiliated Thejas and threatened that he would not be allowed to study anywhere else and that he would fail the Moral Science examination.

“We and our son later enquired with other teachers and learned that the results of the Moral Science examination were not required to obtain a TC and join another school. After learning this, my son felt somewhat relieved. My son wrote the examination on April 27. We had been informed that the TC would be issued on May 2 after the results were published. However, the teachers allegedly threatened that they would place a ‘red mark’ on the TC even if he passed the MSC examination.

“Instead of issuing the TC, the headmistress and the class teacher threatened him in a manner that would destroy his future, despite the fact that he himself wished to leave the school. Their actions were clearly intended to push my son toward suicide. On the night before the examination results were to be announced, my son went to his room to sleep at around 11.30 pm. The next morning, we found that he had died by suicide,” the complaint says.

The family has also alleged that the Perinthalmanna Police were unwilling to conduct an investigation by invoking the necessary legal provisions.
​Meanwhile, the school authorities have dismissed the allegations as baseless.

“It is not true that teachers subjected Thejas to punishment in the classroom during the month of November. He was a student who paid good attention in class and studied well. He had obtained sufficient marks for promotion in the eighth standard annual examination. Therefore, the claim that he was made to write a Moral Science examination is illogical, since no such examination is required for promotion,” a press note issued by the school authorities stated.

The school also said that after the annual examinations, Thejas’s parents voluntarily approached the school seeking a TC and related documents to admit him to another school. The authorities had informed them that these documents would be issued after May 2.

“The student, who had written the examinations well and was eligible for promotion to the ninth standard, had no contact with the school or teachers after the examinations in March and after the school closed for vacation. Since it was vacation time, he was staying at home. It was during this period that we came to know about the death of Thejas. Immediately afterwards, the headmistress and some teachers visited the house, attended the funeral, and expressed their condolences,” the press note added.