Dhanbad student suicide: Principal, teacher arrested

DHANBAD: A day after a class 10 student died by suicide allegedly after being slapped by a teacher for coming to school with a 'bindi' on her forehead, the police on Tuesday arrested the principal and the teacher of the school in Tetulmari area of Dhanbad district.

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Usha Kumari (16) died by suicide on Monday after being allegedly humiliated and slapped by the lady teacher during prayer in school for putting a 'bindi' on her forehead. The girl had also left a suicide note in her room in which she allegedly held the teacher of the school and the principal responsible for the incident, Tetulmari police station in-charge Ashish Kumar Yadav said.

The suicide note was addressed to the Tetulmari police station officer in charge, police said, adding that the note contained that she (student) can't tolerate insult in school in public and preferred death and action should be taken against the teacher and principal. Police said the girl after reaching home hanged herself to death from the ceiling fan in her house in Hanumangarhi Colony, about 25 km from the district headquarters. The police seized the suicide note and lodged an FIR against the teacher and the principal.

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As the police initially took no action even after 24 hours of the incident, family members of the girl and their relatives sat on the road with her body at 10 am in the morning demanding the arrest of the teacher and principal. After getting information deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Baghmara region Nisha Murmu reached the spot and assured the agitating parents and relatives of action against the guilty. In the afternoon Tetulmari police station in-charge Ashish Kumar Yadav arrested both the accused from school. The family members of the girl alleged that when her mother went to the school to lodge a complaint against the teacher for slapping and humiliating her daughter for putting 'bindi' on her forehead, the principal sent her back.