CCTV shows teacher ‘humiliating him’: Probe widens, 5 friends questioned in Delhi Class 10 student suicide

NEw new delhi : terzetto years after a division 10 pupil from central Delhi’s St Columba’s School jumped to his death, Delhi Police said they have identified five of the boy’s friends and begun questioning them and their families in connection with the case.Of the five boys being examined as witnesses, three classmates – named in the FIR filed on the basis of the father’s complaint – were the first to tell the family that the 16-year-old had been “picked on” repeatedly in the last four days by three teachers and the headmistress. An investigator familiar with their statements said they present a uniform narrative: that this particular group of friends felt targeted, intimidated and routinely humiliated by the staff members in question.Some incidents, investigators said, also appear to be corroborated by CCTV footage. In at least one recording, a police officer said, a teacher is “seen humiliating him in front of other kids”.Also Read | ‘Pattern of harassment’: Parents, students protest outside Delhi school after Class 10 boy’s suicideOn Thursday, the school suspended the four after they were booked under BNS sections 107 (abetment to suicide) and 3(5) (common intention).According to the FIR, which HT has accessed, the boy told his friends that he had been threatened with expulsion and shoved by one teacher. Another teacher allegedly accused him of “overacting” and creating “drama” – remarks that one of the officers cited above said links to his refusal to participate in a dance rehearsal because of an ankle sprain.Police have also retrieved CCTV footage covering November 11 to 18 from inside and around the school.The first officer said all four staff members, including the headmistress, will be summoned this weekend.Early accounts from students suggest a pattern of persistent scolding and disproportionate punishment directed at the boy and his friends.The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also taken cognisance of the case and demanded an action report from the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) and district magistrate (DM) of Central Delhi within 10 days. “...The complaints were ignored, and no counselling or child protection measures were provided, amounting to violations of the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act, 2015, Right to Education (Violations of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory) Education (RTE) Act, 2009, and child safety norms.”HT attempted to reach the St Columba’s principal but received no response. Queries sent to the Edmund Rice Organisation, which runs the school, also went unanswered.Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-23389090 from Sumaitri (Delhi-based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based).