[ Bengia Ajum ]
AMLIANG, 25 Jun: A 15-year-old student of the VKV here in Anjaw district reportedly died by suicide on the bank of the Lohit River.
The family of late Chirag Kri, who was a Class 10 student of the VKV, has lodged an FIR at the Khupa police station in this regard.
According to police sources, Chirag went missing from the school on Sunday evening. The family members searched for him frantically in the nearby areas on Sunday night. On Monday, at around 7:30 am, he was found hanging near the bank of the Lohit River by his father and uncle, who were searching for him.
The family has alleged that Chirag died by suicide due to harsh treatment meted out to him by the VKV authorities for using a mobile phone.
“He was caught with a mobile phone in the hostel. His father was called to the school. In the principal’s room, the warden pressured the father to withdraw Chirag from the school. The father requested the school authorities to let him stay in the hostel. Harsh words were used against him, which seems to have deeply traumatised him,” said a family member of the deceased.
The father and son were also asked to sign a bond by the school authorities.
The deceased’s uncle, Ometso Kri, had visited the school on Sunday evening to meet him, but by then Chirag had gone missing. “He was seen in the back of the school by some of his friends at around 4 in the evening. I reached the school at around 8 pm and he was not seen on campus. The school authorities, in particular the warden, had no idea where he was. This is utter negligence and they should be held responsible for the death of Chirag,” Kri told the media.
Talking to this daily, Anjaw SP Rike Kamsi informed that a case (u/s 174 CrPC) has been registered based on the FIR lodged by the father of the deceased.
“All legal formalities over the body have been completed and the body has been handed over to the family members. The faculty members and students of the school are being examined. The family members/relatives are also being examined,” said Kamsi.
He further informed that a letter of apology and a diary were seized during the investigation. “They were found from the bed of the deceased and will be sent to the FSL for comparison,” the SP said.
“We are investigating from every angle, including negligence by school authorities. So far no arrest has been made. Further investigation is underway, and if any foul play is found, arrest will be made,” the SP added.
