Student suicide: Supporters block Delhi-noida road
NOIDA: Demanding the immediate arrest of the teachers accused of sexually harassing and abetting the suicide of a 15-year-old Noida girl, her parents and their supporters on Thursday blocked the Delhi-noida link road near Mayur Phase 1 for more than four hours, causing a massive traffic jam. The girl studied in a school in the east Delhi neighbourhood.
“Our daughter was physically and mentally tortured by her teachers due to which she ended up committing suicide. We demand immediate arrest of teachers accused and the case must be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation as we have lost hope in Noida Police,” the father of the girl said.
The protestors blocked the road from both sides on the Delhi-noida link road from 12pm to 4pm, thereby forcing commuters to wait in the traffic jam for hours.
The Class 9 student committed suicide by hanging at her residence in Noida when her parents were not at home on Tuesday. No suicide note was found from the spot. But the parents insisted their daughter was under academic stress after she failed in two subjects in an examination whose results were declared on March 16.
The parents claimed that one of the teachers had allegedly tried to sexually harass their daughter a month ago. Noida Police booked the two teachers under the stringent Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for sexually harassing the victim and abetting her suicide and the principal of the school for abetment of suicide.
“We sympathise with the family as they have lost their daughter. However resorting to such undemocratic means of protest and affecting the lives of thousands of citizens does no one any good. They should rather protest in front of Delhi Police headquarters or the Delhi Secretariat,” said Madhushree Kumar, a resident of Kalkaji, Delhi.
After continuous persuasion by Delhi Police personnel and commuters, t he protestors allowed a few vehicles carrying children, elderly and sick people to travel further.
The elder brother of the victim, who studies in Noida, was present in the agitation with his friends and sympathisers.
“My sister was unfairly targeted by the two teachers and she had even told to us that they will intentionally fail her. Who gets seven marks in Social Studies? She was under depression because of the teachers who kept abusing her,” said the brother.
“We ensured that we don’t use force to remove the protestors from the road as the case is sensitive,” said Omvir Singh Bishnoi, DCP (east).
At 4pm, the parents were taken in a Rapid Action Force bus by the Delhi Police to an undisclosed location after which they were released, police said.
“Due to the protest, there was jam in Noida as well. We deployed traffic personnel and diverted the traffic from Noida to Delhi to the Delhi-noida-delhi flyway,” said Layak Singh, Noida traffic inspector .