PUCL, CPM want thorough probe into TN girl student’s suicide

CHENNAI: The People's Union for Civil Liberties and the CPM has in two separate statements called for a thorough probe into the suicide of a Class 12 girl student in a private school hostel in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi following which the district had witnessed unprecedented violence.

The CPM state secretary, K. Balakrishnan in a communique on Monday said that there were several discrepancies in the statements of the school administrators and that the party fact-finding team could understand this. He demanded a detailed probe by the police on the reasons behind the suicide of the student and whether the school management had forced her to end life.

The People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) in a statement on Sunday said that the CB-CID should hold a detailed inquiry and question the sons of the private school's correspondent. The organisation also demanded that statement's from the victim's classmates and the school watchmen must also be taken to bring out the truth behind the death of the girl student.

The Class 12 girl student of a private school in Kallakurichi was found dead near the hostel premises on July 13 leading to widespread protests. On July 16, there was widespread arson and around 30 school buses were burnt as also a police vehicle. The school was totally ransacked and damaged with almost all the benches, desks, fans, and other electrical equipment damaged.

PUCL in the statement said, "According to our fact-finding report, the girl's mother's statement, and the post-mortem report, there were no fractures on the girl's hands or legs. However there were several abrasion wounds on her body and it is unfortunate that Justice Varma commission's guidelines, Medico-legal care for victims/ survivors of sexual violence guidelines and protocols were not met in this case."

The human rights organisation also called upon the government to appoint a retired high court judge to manage the affairs of the school till the suspects are brought to book.

The PUCL also called upon identifying genuine protesters on July 16 as well as to find out the miscreants who had resorted to destroying the school buses and torching them.

While the CPM fact-finding team was led by party state secretary, K. Balakrishnan, the PUCL team was led by its state secretary, S. Sankaralingam.