Faridabad: Teenager dies by suicide, mother alleges he was harassed in school over his sexuality
The mother has alleged that the school authorities did not take any action after the boy was harassed. Instead, they threatened to expel him.
A student of the Delhi Public School in Haryana’s Faridabad city allegedly died by suicide earlier this week. His mother has claimed that the boy had been harassed at school about his sexuality, The Indian Express reported on Saturday.
The mother said that the school authorities had threatened to expel the boy after she complained to them about the harassment, reported ANI.
Police have said that the 15-year-old killed himself around 9.15 pm on Thursday when his mother was not at home. He was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead. Faridabad Police spokesperson Sube Singh said that the teenager had written a suicide note in which he blamed the school authorities of harassment.
Police officers and members of the Crime Branch have gathered evidence from the spot, Singh said.
According to Singh, two students had made “lewd remarks” about the 15-year-old last year, but the school authorities took no action when his mother complained to the principal. The police spokesperson said the teenager had been suffering from depression since the incident and was under medication.
When the teenager returned to school as it reopened after the coronavirus lockdown, he felt “mentally tortured”, Singh told The Indian Express.
Arjun Dev, the station house officer of Faridabad police station, said that based on a complaint by the teenager’s mother, a first information report for abetment of suicide has been registered against the academic head of the school, according to The Indian Express.
In the complaint, the mother said that the teenager had complained of being harassed about his sexuality, reported The Indian Express. The complaint also stated that on Wednesday, the teenager who was dyslexic, had asked the headmistress of the school to help him with some numerical problems, but he was rebuked.
The principal of the school told reporters that the institute was “supportive and sensitive” and claimed that the students are not harassed. The principal said that the school authorities want an impartial investigation into the matter.