In a shocking incident, a 13-year-old girl committed suicide in Saharanpur district after she was forced to clean a toilet in school.
The girl, Lakshmi, was first made to stand on the chair and then forced to clean the toilet as punishment for not paying her school fees on time.
The incident took place in Bhalsua village in Saharanpur district on Thursday when Lakshmi, unable to bear the humiliation in school, hanged herself.
“She told me that her classmates were ridiculing her and that she would not go to school even though she wanted to study. A few hours later she hanged herself from the ceiling hook” said Reena, the victim’s distraught mother.
Lakshmi’s father, Kalu Ram, meanwhile, said that his daughter was humiliated by the school authorities just because he could not deposit her fees in time.
“I am a daily wage labourer and did not have money. I explained my position to the teachers but they would not listen,” he said.
Her parents said that school authorities told them that she would not be allowed to attend the classes till they cleared the arrears. When her parents expressed their helplessness, they made the girl clean the toilet.
The school management has refused to comment on the issue but the police are investigating the matter.
Saharanpur SSP Amit Chandra said that the family members cremated the victim without informing the police but the cops are investigating the reasons that forced the girl to take this drastic step.
Meanwhile, a school employee who spoke on condition of anonymity admitted that the girl had been forced to clean the toilet as punishment. “The teacher told her to either get her mother to clean the toilet or clean it herself and she then went herself to clean it,” the employee said.