Chennai:
A Class XI Dalit student was found dead at his home in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, on the day he returned to school after the Puja holidays. His parents have alleged that the boy faced discriminatory practices at his school. Police are treating the death as a case of suicide and investigating allegations raised by his parents.
In a police complaint filed after the tragedy, the boy's parents alleged that he was subjected to discriminatory treatment at the government-aided school. They claimed that a section of students subsequently stopped talking to him, leaving him distressed.
Police have invoked provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and are investigating the role of the school principal, a teacher and others in connection with the allegations.
"We are investigating the role of the school, the principal, class teacher and any others. We have filed a case under the SC/ST Act," a senior police officer told NDTV.
Asked specifically whether any teacher had been arrested, the officer said, "If required, we will."
Police said the parents had not lodged a police complaint before the student's death, but had taken up the issue with the school. Police sources said there was only minimal intervention from the school.
Sources indicate that the alleged discrimination was triggered by the family's caste and their food choices. These details are part of the emerging account and are yet to be independently established through the investigation.
The police are examining the circumstances surrounding the student's death and the allegations of discriminatory practices within the school.
The incident comes amid earlier allegations of caste-based discrimination in schools in Coimbatore. Last year, the principal of a private school was suspended after allegedly forcing a Dalit girl, who was menstruating, to write her examinations while sitting on the stairs outside her classroom.