Palanpur, June 17
The Banaskantha police have come under attack from the Opposition for being insensitive to a student's complaint of harassment, which led her to commit suicide last week.
The police sat on the abetment to suicide complaint for one week. Now, the Opposition is demanding an investigation by a Special Investigation Team.
Tilotama (name changed), an 11th class student, was attending a maths class in Radhe International School on June 28, 2021, when some students caught her hands, the maths teacher Navin Darji stuffed her mouth with a dupatta, and the teacher and four classmates and two other unknown students started harassing her. One of them recorded the incident on a mobile phone. They later threatened Tilotama that if she informed anyone about the incident, they would circulate the video on social media.
It is stated in the complaint that she and her family members had lodged a complaint at Bhabhar police station and took the matter to the executive magistrate, but it was in vain as she kept receiving threat calls.
Upon constant harassment by students and unknown persons, she hanged herself from a ceiling fan on June 6. Her suicide note was in circulation on social media last week.
"It is a shameful incident that though the family kept complaining for almost a year, the local police did not act just to protect the trustees of the school who are well connected to the ruling party leaders. This has resulted in the child committing suicide," alleged Congress MLA Geniben Thakor from Vav constituency.
She has demanded a special investigation and stated that "I have little trust in the Deputy Superintendent of Police as after the first information report lodged a year ago, he had filed a case closing report. If the same officer is going to investigate or supervise the investigation, the girl will never get justice. Only an impartial officer with integrity will do a fair investigation."
AAP leader Isudan Gadhvi said that the Chief Minister and Minister of State for Home should take keen interest in the case and get justice for the girl as "Local police cannot be trusted any more."
On the other hand, Banaskantha District Education Officer Narendra Chavda is satisfied that the school teacher has been arrested and the school management has terminated his services.
But the victim's family members and politicians are questioning why the students were let off scot-free when four classmates are named in the complaint.
