Coimbatore Student Dies by Suicide Following Alleged Harassment Over Caste and Food Habits

A 16-year-old Class 11 student in Coimbatore died by suicide on Wednesday after his family alleged he faced persistent harassment from classmates and a teacher regarding his caste and food habits.

Investigation and Bookings

The Peelamedu police registered a case late on October 21 against two classmates, class teacher Vijayakumar, and school principal Arunkumar for abetment to suicide and other related offenses under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Police questioned teacher Vijayakumar on Thursday, while the District Educational Officer for Secondary Education also conducted an inquiry at the school on the same day. Additionally, the Tamil Nadu State Commission for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes directed the Coimbatore City Police Commissioner to submit a report within one week.

Family Allegations

The victim's mother, A. Kowsalyadevi, stated that teacher Vijayakumar had previously asked students about their caste to enlist them for a scholarship and inquired about beef consumption, prompting her son and four others to stand up. She alleged that two classmates subsequently harassed and assaulted her son over his caste, and that both the teacher and principal failed to take action when the student reported the mistreatment. School inquiry records noted that the mother had visited the school on October 8 to sign a progress report without raising complaints then, and that two teachers belonging to Scheduled Castes were voluntarily handling scholarship enlistments.

Context

Incidents involving caste-based discrimination and harassment in educational institutions attract strict legal scrutiny under special protection laws like the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Authorities typically investigate institutional accountability alongside individual actions when complaints of negligence are raised by grieving families.