Don’t politicise school student’s suicide, guilty will not go unpunished: TN Minister

CHENNAI: Asserting that justice would be meted out to the parents of the 17-year-old girl who allegedly died by suicide in Thanjavur recently, Tamil Nadu school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi on Monday appealed to the people not to politicise the teenager's death, as an enquiry in all aspects is apace.

The school education department has already sought an explanation from the missionary school where the girl studied and also commenced enquiries with students and former students on the allegation of forced conversion bid, the minister said. "The truth behind the death of the girl by suicide will be ascertained and those responsible will certainly be punished," Poyyamozhi told reporters here.

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The plus-two student of a missionary school in Thanjavur consumed poison on January 9 and her condition deteriorated on January 15, and she was taken to the Thanjavur College Hospital where she gave her declaration implicating the warden and died on January 19. According to the FIR, the student was staying at the school hostel and the warden allegedly forced her to do domestic chores on January 9. The Thirukattupalli police arrested and remanded the warden after the Thanjavur judicial magistrate took the dying declaration.

However, the BJP members in the district claimed that the girl committed suicide as she was forced to embrace Christianity. They even staged an agitation condemning the police. "Though the school is run by Christian missionaries, a fairly large number of Hindu students study in this school. Though the allegation of coercing the girl to convert to Christianity appears to be remote, enquiries with the students and those who had passed out from the school are on," the minister said.

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Immediately after the incident, chief minister M K Stalin got in touch with him and he conferred with senior education department officials, he said. "At present enquiry is on and the guilty will be punished, " the minister said and added that the DMK government will not tolerate any kind of discrimination on caste, religion or political basis. Responding to a question, Poyyamozhi denied that the warden, a senior citizen, could have attempted to forcibly convert the girl or her parents. "This appears to be untrue as the warden who has already been arrested, had paid the student’s fee," the minister said.