3 teachers, headmistress suspended after death of student triggers protest

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The alleged death by suicide of a 16-year-old student of St. Columba’s School in New Delhi’s Ashok Place following “mental harassment” sparked protests by parents and students outside the school on Thursday, leading to the suspension of three teachers and the headmistress.

The action came a day after the Delhi police registered an FIR against the three teachers for alleged ill-treatment of the Class 10 student who had named them in a note recovered from his bag.

According to the boy’s father, the 16-year-old had been complaining about facing mental harassment at school for the past few months. The issue was raised with the headmistress but no action was taken, he said. “The taunting and pressure aggravated a few days before the incident,” he said.

He added that his son slipped and fell on stage while practising for a play in school on Tuesday.

One of the teachers allegedly made “insulting remarks” that upset him so deeply that he broke down, he said. “The teacher said, ‘Cry as much as you want, it won’t affect us.’ The headmistress was also present,” he said.

After the rehearsal, the boy was found dead at Rajendra Place metro station at 1.30 p.m. “I received a call around 1.45 p.m. from an anonymous number. I informed my wife, who rushed to the spot. He was taken to BKL Hospital and declared brought dead,” the father said. 

In an official notification signed by the principal, Robert Fernandes, all four suspended teachers were instructed “not to visit the campus or contact staff or students, and to remain available for communication with any competent authority”.

‘Need accountability’

Parents and students who protested demanded accountability. “The school often escalates minor misbehaviour and threatens children with disciplinary action. Children of this age are sensitive; they need empathy, not intimidation,” said a parent. The boy’s father said it took the police five hours to file the FIR. “We had to resort to peaceful protest after seeing how casually both the police and the school were treating my child’s death,” he said.

A five-member high-level inquiry committee has been ordered to submit a “comprehensive report” within three days, the Directorate of Education (DoE) said. (Those in distress can contact Tele MANAS at 14416 to seek help.)